LI  N  CO  LN 

Ms  WORDS  «m)DEEDS 
CORSON 


LINCOLN  ROOM 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
LIBRARY 


MEMORIAL 

the  Class  of  1901 

founded  by 

HARLAN  HOYT  HORNER 

and 

HENRIETTA  CALHOUN  HORNER 


Keystone  View  Co. 


PORTRAIT  OF  LINCOLN 


Of  all  existing  paintings   of  the   famous   President,  many   feel  that 
this  profile  best  reveals  the  real  soul  of  the  great  man. 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

His  Words  and  Deeds 


By 
Oscar  Taylor  Corson 

LECTURER  ON  EDUCATION,  WESTERN  COLLEGE,  OXFORD,  OHIO 

FORMERLY  STATE  SUPERINTENDENT  OF 

PUBLIC  INSTRUCTION,  OHIO 

AUTHOR  OF  "OUR  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS" 


F.  A.  OWEN  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 
DANSVILLE,  N.  Y. 


Copyright,  1927 
F.  A.  OWEN  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 


Abraham  Lincoln 


fBINTED  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA 


CONTENTS 

INTRODUCTION 7 

CHAPTER  I 

Lincoln's  Humility 11 

CHAPTER  II 

Lincoln's    Reverence 33 

CHAPTER  III 

Lincoln's  Loyalty 56 

CHAPTER  IV 

Lincoln's  Honesty 80 

CHAPTER  V 

Lincoln's    Simplicity 105 

CHAPTER  VI 

Lincoln's  Humor 124 

CHAPTER  VII 

Lincoln's  Magnanimity 151 

CHAPTER  VIII 

Lincoln's  Education 179 

CHAPTER  IX 

Lincoln's  Gettysburg  Address  ....    201 

CHAPTER  X 

The  Lincoln  Tomb 232 

INDEX 251 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

The  author's  grateful  appreciation  is  hereby  expressed  to  the 
following  publishers  for  their  generous  permission  to  quote, 
from  the  volumes  named,  the  selections  which  are  specified  in 
the  text  and  to  summarize  various  incidents  and  stories : 

D.  Appleton  and  Company,  New  York — Abraham  Lincoln, 
W.  H.  Herndon  and  Jesse  W.  Weik. 

The  Baker  and  Taylor  Company,  New  York — The  Life  of 
Abraham  Lincoln,  Henry  C.  Whitney. 

The  Century  Company,  New  York — Abraham  Lincoln — A 
History,  John  G.  Nicolay  and  John  Hay;  A  Short  Life  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln,  John  G.  Nicolay;  Personal  Traits  of  Abraham  Lin- 
coln, Helen  Nicolay;  Lincoln  the  Lawyer,  Frederick  Trevor 
Hill. 

The  Century  Magazine,  February,  1894 — Special  permis- 
sion to  quote  from  article  on  "Lincoln's  Gettysburg  Address,"  by 
John  G.  Nicolay. 

Houghton  Mifflin  Company,  Boston — Daniel  Webster, 
Henry  Cabot  Lodge;  Honest  Abe,  Alonzo  Rothschild;  The  Real 
Lincoln,  Jesse  W.  Weik. 

J.  B.  Lippincott  Company,  Philadelphia — The  True  Abraham 
Lincoln,  William  Eleroy  Curtis;  Intimate  Character  Sketches  of 
Abraham  Lincoln,  Henry  B.  Rankin. 

Little  Brown  and  Company,  Boston — Tad  and  His  Father, 
F.  Lauriston  Bullard. 

The  Macmillan  Company,  New  York — The  Life  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln,  Ida  M.  Tarbell;  Abraham  Lincoln,  the  Man  of  the 
People,  Norman  Hapgood. 

The  Methodist  Book  Concern  (Abingdon  Press),  New 
York — Abraham  Lincoln  the  Christian,  William  J.  Johnson. 

The  Pennsylvania  Magazine  of  History  and  Biography, 
October  1909— "The  Gettysburg  Address,"  by  Major  William  H# 
Lambert. 


6  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons,  New  York — Abraham  Lincoln,  Man  of 
God,  John  Wesley  Hill. 

Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  New  York — History  of  Andrew 
Jackson,  Augustus  C.  Buell. 

The  Centenary  Edition  of  the  Life  and  Works  of  Abraham 
Lincoln,  edited  by  Marion  Mills  Miller,  and  published  by  The 
Current  Literature  Publishing  Company,  is  the  source  of  the 
quotations  from  Lincoln's  letters,  addresses,  and  state  papers. 


Other  volumes  which  have  been  carefully  read  and  which  are 
recommended  to  students  of  Lincoln  are: 

Six  Months  At  the  White  House,  F.  B.  Carpenter. 

The  Paternity  of  Abraham  Lincoln;  The  Soul  of  Abraham 
Lincoln;  and  The  Life  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  all  by  William  E. 
Barton. 

Lincoln,  Master  of  Men,  Alonzo  Rothschild. 

Lincoln,  Nathaniel  Wright  Stephenson. 

Abraham  Lincoln,  Lord  Charnwood. 

Personal  Recollections  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  Henry  B.  Rankin. 

Abraham  Lincoln,  George  Haven  Putnam. 

The  Boy's  Abraham  Lincoln,  Helen  Nicolay. 

Gettysburg  and  Lincoln,  Henry  Sweetser  Burrage. 

Lincoln's  Gettysburg  Address,  Orton  H.  Carmichael. 

The  Assassination  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  The  Poets'  Lin- 
coln, Osborn  H.  Oldroyd. 

Lincoln  in  the  Telegraph  Office,  David  Homer  Bates. 

Personal  Reminiscences  [of  Lincoln],  L.  E.  Chittenden. 

Uncollected  Letters  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  Gilbert  H.  Tracy. 

Abraham  Lincoln,  Defendant,  William  H.  Townsend. 

Abraham  Lincoln,  the  Prairie  Years,  Carl  Sandburg. 

Lincoln's  Parentage  and  Childhood,  Louis  A.  Warren. 


INTRODUCTION 

It  has  been  stated  that  every  one  who  can  recall 
the  assassination  of  President  Lincoln  has  a  vivid 
recollection  of  all  the  details  connected  with  the  re- 
ceipt of  the  news  of  that  terrible  tragedy. 

The  author  has  interviewed  many  persons  who 
remember  that  saddest  of  all  events  in  our  nation's 
history.  Without  exception  they  all  testify  to  the 
truthfulness  of  the  statement,  and  are  able  to  tell 
exactly  where  they  were  at  the  time  as  well  as  to 
give  in  the  minutest  detail  all  the  attendant  circum- 
stances. This  is  of  itself  a  most  impressive  tribute 
to  the  memory  of  the  martyred  President.  It  con- 
clusively proves  the  large  place  which  he  occupied 
in  the  hearts  of  the  common  people  of  his  day. 

People  who  knew  Lincoln  personally  are  now  few 
in  number.  Even  those  who  can  remember  that 
fateful  fourteenth  of  April,  1865,  when  the  whole 
world  mourned,  form  a  relatively  small  portion  of 
the  living.  And  it  is  feared  that  the  younger  gen- 
eration are  not  as  familiar  with  his  life  and  char- 
acter as  they  should  be. 

Fortunately,  there  are  many  volumes  prepared  by 
authors  who  knew  him  intimately,  which  contain  a 
reliable  record  of  his  life  and  work.  His  letters, 
speeches,  and  state  papers  have  been  carefully  pre- 


8  INTRODUCTION 

served  and  edited.  In  the  preparation  of  this  volume 
all  the  more  important  Lincoln  literature  has  been 
carefully  studied. 

Credit  is  also  due  a  number  of  persons,  some  of 
whom  are  no  longer  living,  who  generously  accorded 
the  author  personal  interviews  in  which  they  gave 
freely  of  their  intimate  personal  knowledge  of  Lin- 
coln, gained  by  association  with  him.  To  all  such  a 
debt  of  gratitude  is  due  for  their  valuable  contribu- 
tion. 

Visits  to  all  the  important  Lincoln  shrines  have 
been  made  in  the  course  of  the  study,  which  has 
covered  a  period  of  several  years.  In  this  study  there 
has  come  an  ever  deepening  impression  of  the  great- 
ness of  Lincoln's  character  together  with  the  con- 
viction that  his  character  can  best  be  revealed  and 
interpreted  by  what  he,  himself,  said  and  did.  As 
Lowell  so  well  describes  him : 

"Here  was  a  type  of  the  true  elder  race; 
And  one  of  Plutarch's  men  talked  with  us  face  to 
face." 

Just  as  the  white  light  from  the  sun,  when  passed 
through  a  prism  of  glass,  reveals  the  seven  primary 
colors  of  the  solar  spectrum,  so  the  white  light  em- 
anating from  the  soul  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  when 
passed  through  the  prism  of  a  sympathetic  study  of 
his  words  and  deeds,  reveals  the  seven  primary  vir- 
tues of  his  great  character — Humility,  Reverence, 
Loyalty,  Honesty,  Simplicity,  Humor,  and  Magna- 
nimity.   To  each  of  these  a  chapter  is  devoted. 


INTRODUCTION  9 

In  addition  a  chapter  each  is  given  to  Lincoln's  Ed- 
ucation, which  was  gained  by  the  most  persistent 
effort  and  intense  application ;  to  the  Gettysburg  Ad- 
dress, which  has  been  and  still  is  so  grossly  misrepre- 
sented as  having  been  delivered  with  little  or  no 
preparation;  and  to  the  Lincoln  Tomb,  about  which 
centers  much  interesting  history  not  generally 
known  but  of  sufficient  importance  to  justify  its  in- 
sertion at  the  close  of  this  book,  even  if  it  is  not  in 
harmony  with  the  title. 

The  volume  is  published  with  the  sincere  desire 
that  it  may  help  to  create  in  all  who  read  it  a  keen 
appreciation  of  the  rich  heritage  to  be  found  in  the 
life  and  character  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  of  whom  his 
great  war  secretary,  Edwin  M.  Stanton,  declared,  at 
the  time  of  his  death, 

"Now  he  belongs  to  the  ages." 


^Kp  front  log  cabin  to  ilje  Capitol, 

(©ne  firs  foras  on  Ijis  spirit,  on^  rssolfe- 

©o  ssnb  tlf£  femt  ax  to  tlje  root  o£  forong, 

Clearing  a  fr*£  faag  for  ifys  fed:  of  dob, 

Wc\t  sges  of  ronsrfencs  testing  jeferg  stroke, 

tEo  mab  Ijis  btth  ti\t  measure  of  a  man* 

£&e  hnilt  ilf£  rail-pita  as  Ije  bnili  ifye  jiiahe, 

Ponring  Ifis  spten&ifa  strength  tljronglj  jeferg  blofo; 

®Ijs  grip  tljat  s&mng  tlj£  ax  in  Illinois 

pias  on  ii\z  pm  ifyai:  ssi  a  psopfe  foee. 

From  "Lincoln,  the  Man  of  the  People,"  in  Collected  Works  by  Edwin 
Mark  ham  (in  preparation).    Used  by  permission  of  the  author. 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

CHAPTER  I 
LINCOLN'S  HUMILITY 

ON  February  12, 1809,  in  the  midst  of  circumstances 
so  disheartening  and  of  conditions  so  unpromising 
that  it  is  impossible  to  realize  or  even  to  imagine  their 
effect  upon  the  life  of  a  sensitive  child,  Abraham  Lin- 
coln was  born. 

"A  blend  of  mirth  and  sadness,  smiles  and  tears, 

A  quaint  knight-errant  of  the  pioneers : 

A  homely  hero  born  of  star  and  sod; 

A  Peasant  Prince;  a  Masterpiece  of  God." 

By  his  own  unaided  efforts,  he  overcame  the 
effects  of  the  surroundings  in  which  he  grew  to  man- 
hood and  won  for  himself  such  recognition  as  made 
him  the  great,  outstanding,  dominating  figure  of  his 
century.  And  yet,  notwithstanding  the  great  success 
which  he  earned  and  the  merited  honors  which  came 
to  him  as  a  result,  the  keynote  of  his  marvelous  life, 
the  secret  of  his  mighty  influence  was  his  humility, 
which  enabled  him  to  forget  himself  in  his  unselfish 
desire  to  serve  humanity. 

For  a  third  of  a  century,  in  the  midst  of  the  great 
slavery  contest  which  stirred  the  soul  of  the  nation  as 


12  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

it  had  never  been  stirred  before,  he  was  almost  con- 
stantly before  the  public  eye  and  in  the  public  thought. 
And  yet,  from  the  time  he  announced  his  first  candi- 
dacy for  the  Legislature  in  1832 — a  candidacy  which 
resulted  in  defeat — until  that  memorable  day,  the 
eighth  of  November,  1864,  when  he  closed  his  second 
campaign  for  the  Presidency  with  a  triumphant  vic- 
tory, he  never  uttered  a  word  or  performed  a  deed 
which  indicated  that  he  ever  indulged  in  any  unbecom- 
ing exultation  because  of  victory  or  any  unkindly  crit- 
icism because  of  defeat. 

"I  presume  you  all  know  who  I  am.  I  am  humble 
Abraham  Lincoln.  I  have  been  solicited  by  many 
friends  to  become  a  candidate  for  the  Legislature. 
My  politics  are  short  and  sweet,  like  the  old  woman's 
dance.  I  am  in  favor  of  a  national  bank.  I  am  in 
favor  of  the  internal  improvement  system,  and  a  high 
protective  tariff.  These  are  my  sentiments  and  polit- 
ical principles.  If  elected  I  shall  be  thankful;  if  not 
it  will  be  all  the  same." 

With  these  simple,  direct,  and  unpretentious  state- 
ments, this  young  man  of  only  twenty-three  presented 
his  claims  to  the  votes  of  his  constituents  with  that 
humility  which  was  to  characterize  his  career  through- 
out life. 

About  the  same  time  (March,  1832)  that  this  brief 
announcement  of  his  candidacy  was  made,  in  one  of 
the  longest  letters  he  ever  wrote,  he  presented  some- 
what in  detail  his  views  on  the  public  questions  which 
interested  the  people  at  that  time.  One  of  these  ques- 
tions related  to  the  possible  need  of  changes  in  exist- 


LINCOLN'S  HUMILITY  13 

ing  laws.  With  humility,  which  might  well  serve  as 
an  example  for  some  legislators  of  the  present  day,  in 
both  state  and  nation,  who  are  ever  ready  to  enact 
new  laws  or  to  amend  old  ones  with  slight  considera- 
tion, this  young  aspirant  for  legislative  honors 
modestly  declared: 

"But  considering  the  great  probability  that  the 
f ramers  of  those  laws  were  wiser  than  myself,  I  should 
prefer  not  meddling  with  them,  unless  they  were  first 
attacked  by  others;  in  which  case,  I  should  feel  it 
both  a  privilege  and  a  duty  to  take  that  stand  which, 
in  my  view,  might  tend  most  to  the  advancement  of 
justice/' 

The  concluding  paragraphs  of  this  letter,  announc- 
ing his  first  candidacy  for  public  office,  reveal  in  a 
most  interesting  manner  his  ambition  to  succeed,  made 
worthy  by  marked  humility  and  modesty  combined 
with  rare  sincerity  and  gratitude : 

"But,  fellow-citizens,  I  shall  conclude.  Considering 
the  great  degree  of  modesty  which  should  always  at- 
tend youth,  it  is  probable  I  have  already  been  more 
presuming  than  becomes  me.  However,  upon  the  sub- 
jects of  which  I  have  treated,  I  have  spoken  as  I  have 
thought.  I  may  be  wrong  in  regard  to  any  or  all  of 
them,  but,  holding  it  a  sound  maxim  that  it  is  better 
only  sometimes  to  be  right  than  at  all  times  to  be 
wrong,  so  soon  as  I  discover  my  opinions  to  be  errone- 
ous I  shall  be  ready  to  renounce  them. 

"Every  man  is  said  to  have  his  peculiar  ambition. 
Whether  it  be  true  or  not,  I  can  say,  for  one,  that  I 
have  no  other  so  great  as  that  of  being  truly  esteemed 
of  my  fellow-men,  by  rendering  myself  worthy  of 
their  esteem.     How  far  I  shall  succeed  in  gratifying 


14  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

this  ambition  is  yet  to  be  developed.  I  am  young,  and 
unknown  to  many  of  you.  I  was  born,  and  have  ever 
remained,  in  the  most  humble  walks  of  life.  I  have  no 
wealthy  or  popular  relations  or  friends  to  recommend 
me.  My  case  is  thrown  exclusively  upon  the  inde- 
pendent voters  of  the  county;  and,  if  elected,  they 
will  have  conferred  a  favor  upon  me  for  which  I  shall 
be  unremitting  in  my  labors  to  compensate.  But  if 
the  good  people  in  their  wisdom  shall  see  fit  to  keep 
me  in  the  background,  I  have  been  too  familiar  with 
disappointments  to  be  very  much  chagrined." 

The  people,  good  or  bad,  or  both,  did  see  fit  to  keep 
him  in  the  background.  He  was  defeated.  But  it  is 
most  interesting  and  important  to  note  that  Lincoln 
received  six  hundred  and  fifty-seven  out  of  the  two 
thousand  one  hundred  and  sixty-eight  votes  cast  in  the 
county,  and  in  his  home  precinct  of  New  Salem,  two 
hundred  and  seventy-seven — all  but  three — of  the  en- 
tire vote.  Three  months  later,  in  the  election  for 
President,  the  same  precinct  gave  Andrew  Jackson  one 
hundred  and  eighty-five  votes,  and  Henry  Clay,  whom 
Lincoln  supported,  only  seventy  votes.  Considering 
the  fact  that  he  was  young  and  unknown  to  many  of 
the  voters,  and  that  his  service  in  the  Black  Hawk 
War  made  it  impossible  for  him  to  conduct  an  extended 
personal  campaign,  the  vote  he  received  in  the  county 
was  a  fine  tribute  to  his  standing  and  character, 
while  the  almost  unanimous  support  he  was  given  at 
home  plainly  indicated  the  confidence  reposed  in  him 
by  his  neighbors,  who  knew  him  so  intimately.  It  is 
characteristic  of  the  man  that  he  never  ceased  to  be 
grateful  for  this  mark  of  confidence  and  for  the  re- 


LINCOLN'S  HUMILITY  15 

membrance  that  this  was  the  only  time  that  he  was 
ever  defeated  by  a  direct  vote  of  the  people. 

This  defeat  was  followed  by  four  successive  elections 
to  the  legislature,  where  he  constantly  grew  in  in- 
fluence each  session  because  of  his  tactful,  forceful, 
and  intelligent  management  of  both  measures  and 
men.  His  success  in  leading  to  victory  the  forces 
which  favored  the  change  of  the  state  capital  to  Spring- 
field, gave  him  great  prominence  in  that  city  which 
was  to  be  honored  by  his  future  residence.  But  in  all 
the  success  and  prominence  which  came  to  him,  it  was 
the  absence  of  all  self -exaltation  and  the  willingness  to 
give  credit  to  others  in  his  achievements  which  secured 
for  him  such  a  fast  hold  upon  the  hearts  of  the  people. 

Success  in  winning  these  repeated  elections  to  the 
legislature  was  followed  by  two  defeats  for  the  nomi- 
nation for  Congress  and  one  nomination  and  election  to 
that  body,  where  he  served  with  his  accustomed  faith- 
fulness and  modesty. 

His  letters  written  while  in  Congress  to  his  intimate 
friend  and  law  partner,  William  H.  Herndon,  whom 
he  always  addressed  as  "Dear  William,"  are  full  of 
interest.  In  these  letters  can  be  found  no  trace  of  that 
feeling  of  self-importance  which  sometimes  character- 
izes men  who  are  elected  to  serve  the  people  but  who 
forget  their  duty  to  their  constituents  in  their,  admira- 
tion of  themselves. 

"As  to  speech-making,  by  way  of  getting  the  hang 
of  the  House,"  he  writes,  "I  made  a  little  speech  two 
or  three  days  ago  on  a  post  office  question  of  no  gen- 
eral interest.     I   find   speaking   here  and   elsewhere 


16  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

about  the  same  thing.  I  was  about  as  badly  scared, 
and  no  worse,  as  I  am  when  I  speak  in  court.  I  expect 
to  make  one  within  a  week  or  two,  in  which  I  hope  to 
succeed  well  enough  to  wish  you  to  see  it." 

Nearly  six  months  later,  he  refers  to  what  was 
probably  the  most  important  speech  he  made  while  in 
Congress,  by  saying:  "I  made  an  internal-improve- 
ment speech  day  before  yesterday,  which  I  shall  send 
home  as  soon  as  I  can  get  it  written  out  and  printed 
— and  which  I  suppose  nobody  will  read." 

Lincoln  was  twice  defeated  for  the  United  States 
Senate,  the  first  time  in  1854  when,  as  the  candidate 
of  the  Whig  Party,  he  had  forty-five  votes  to  forty-one 
for  the  candidate  of  the  Douglas  Democrats;  and  five 
for  Trumbull,  an  avowed,  uncompromising  Democrat 
upon  every  issue  except  the  Nebraska  Bill,  in  opposi- 
tion to  which  he  was  in  agreement  with  the  supporters 
of  Lincoln.  Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  sup- 
porters of  Trumbull  were  in  such  a  minority,  they 
stubbornly  refused  to  vote  for  Lincoln  who,  with  gen- 
erosity and  sagacity  seldom  shown  in  political  strife, 
urged  his  supporters  to  drop  his  name  and  to  vote 
for  Trumbull.  This  they  did,  "though  with  lingering 
sorrow,"  and  thereby  secured  the  election  of  a  senator 
who  represented  their  views  upon  the  question  of 
slavery  alone. 

It  is  difficult  to  realize  what  this  defeat,  under  such 
circumstances,  meant  to  Lincoln,  to  whom  an  election 
to  the  United  States  Senate  must  have  seemed  a  most 
attractive  prize.  But  he  never  complained  or  indulged 
in  any  unkindly  criticism  of  any  one.    A  few  sentences 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

From  original  negative  owned  by  H.  W.  Fay,  custodian  Lincoln  Tomb, 

Springfield,   and   reproduced  by  his   permission.      It  is   known   as   the 

German-Butler-McNulty    negative     and     was     taken     in     Springfield. 

January,  1861. 


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LINCOLN'S  HUMILITY  19 

quoted  from  a  letter  to  a  trusted  friend  will  serve  to 
show  his  feelings  in  the  matter: 

"The  agony  is  over  at  last,  and  the  result  you  doubt- 
less know.  ...  I  regret  my  defeat  moderately, 
but  I  am  not  nervous  about  it.  .  .  .  On  the  whole, 
it  is  perhaps  as  well  for  our  general  cause  that  Trum- 
bull is  elected." 

To  Lincoln,  "the  general  cause"  was  always  of  more 
importance  than  his  personal  success. 

On  June  16,  1858,  Lincoln  was  declared  to  be  "the 
first  and  only  choice  of  the  Republicans  of  Illinois  for 
the  United  States  Senate  as  the  successor  of  Stephen  A. 
Douglas."  In  addressing  the  convention  which  made 
this  declaration,  he  delivered  a  most  carefully  prepared 
speech,  which  opened  with  the  historic  statements  that 
were  to  result  in  such  momentous  consequences  to  both 
himself  and  the  nation.    He  said : 

"If  we  could  first  know  where  we  are  and  whither 
we  are  tending,  we  could  better  judge  what  to  do  and 
how  to  do  it.  We  are  now  far  into  the  fifth  year  since 
a  policy  was  initiated,  with  the  avowed  object  and 
confident  promise  of  putting  an  end  to  slavery  agita- 
tion. Under  the  operation  of  that  policy,  that  agita- 
tion has  not  only  not  ceased,  but  has  constantly  aug- 
mented. In  my  opinion  it  will  not  cease  until  a  crisis 
shall  have  been  reached  and  passed.  'A  house  divided 
against  itself  cannot  stand.'  I  believe  this  govern- 
ment cannot  endure  permanently,  half  slave  and  half 
free.  I  do  not  expect  the  .Union  to  be  dissolved — I  do 
not  expect  the  house  to  fall — but  I  do  expect  it  will 
cease  to  be  divided.  It  will  become  all  one  thing  or 
all  the  other.  Either  the  opponents  of  slavery  will 
arrest  the  further  spread  of  it,  and  place  it  where  the 


20  [ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

public  mind  shall  rest  in  the  belief  that  it  is  in  the 
course  of  ultimate  extinction;  or  its  advocates  will 
push  it  forward  till  it  shall  become  alike  lawful  in  all 
the  States,  old  as  well  as  new,  North  as  well  as  South." 

On  July  24,  1858,  Lincoln  challenged  Douglas  to  a 
joint  public  debate.  The  challenge  was  accepted,  and 
the  debates  followed  at  Ottawa,  Freeport,  Jonesboro, 
Charleston,  Galesburg,  Quincy,  and  Alton.  That  Lin- 
coln entered  upon  these  debates  in  a  spirit  of  deep  ear- 
nestness, reverent  seriousness,  and  genuine  humility,  is 
shown  in  a  marked  manner  in  the  closing  sentences 
of  his  "Back  to  the  Declaration"  speech  at  Lewistown, 
Illinois,  only  four  days  before  the  formal  opening  of 
the  debates: 

"Think  nothing  of  me,"  declared  he  in  one  of  his 
impassioned  moods, — "take  no  thought  for  the  political 
fate  of  any  man  whomsoever — but  come  back  to  the 
truths  that  are  in  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 
You  may  do  anything  with  me  you  choose,  if  you  will 
but  heed  these  sacred  principles.  You  may  not  only 
defeat  me  for  the  Senate,  but  you  may  take  me  and  put 
me  to  death.  While  pretending  no  indifference  to 
earthly  honors,  I  do  claim  to  be  actuated  in  this  contest 
by  something  higher  than  an  anxiety  for  office.  I 
charge  you  to  drop  every  paltry  and  insignificant 
thought  for  any  man's  success.  It  is  nothing;  I  am 
nothing;  Judge  Douglas  is  nothing.  But  do  not  de- 
stroy that  immortal  emblem  of  Humanity — the  Dec- 
laration of  American  Independence." 

Lincoln  was  again  defeated  in  this  contest,  because 
of  an  antiquated  apportionment  in  the  membership  of 
the  legislature,  which  deprived  him  of  his  hard-earned 
victory.     The  defeat,  however,  was  only  temporary. 


LINCOLN'S  HUMILITY  21 

The  contest  had  revealed  his  true  greatness.  Just  as 
success  in  legislature  and  Congress  had  not  unduly 
elated  him,  so  successive  defeats  for  a  higher  office 
had  not  unduly  disappointed  him.  In  either  success 
or  defeat,  he  always  remained  the  same  "humble  Abra- 
ham Lincoln,"  as  announced  in  1832  in  his  first  can- 
didacy for  the  legislature. 

When  asked  how  he  felt  over  his  defeat,  he  humor- 
ously remarked  to  one  friend :  "I  am  like  the  boy  who 
stubbed  his  toe.  It  hurts  too  bad  to  laugh  and  I  am 
too  big  to  cry."  But  in  a  letter  to  another  friend,  he 
revealed  the  humility  of  his  character  and,  thereby, 
the  foundation  of  his  greatness  by  saying:  "You 
doubtless  have  seen  ere  this  the  result  of  the  election 
here.    Of  course  I  wished,  but  I  did  not  much  expect, 

a  better  result I  am  glad  I  made  the  late 

race.  It  gave  me  a  hearing  on  the  great  and  durable 
question  of  the  age,  which  I  could  have  had  in  no  other 
way ;  and  though  I  now  sink  out  of  view,  and  shall  be 
forgotten,  I  believe  I  have  made  some  marks  which 
will  tell  for  the  cause  of  civil  liberty  long  after  I  am 
gone." 

It  was  not  possible  that  a  man  with  such  a  spirit 
could  sink  out  of  view,  and  he  was  not  forgotten.  In- 
stead, in  the  providence  of  God,  he  was  soon  to  become 
the  nation's  leader  in  the  hour  of  its  gravest  peril  and 
the  emancipator  of  a  race.  The  marks  which  he  had 
made  were  indeed  to  tell  for  the  cause  of  civil  liberty 
long  after  he  was  gone. 

On  November  6,  1860,  he  was  elected  President. 
Then  followed  the  four  months  of  intense  anxiety  be- 


22  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

fore  he  could  enter  upon  his  duties  as  President  of  the 
distracted  nation,  all  sections  of  which  he  loved  with 
patriotic  devotion.  These  were  months  of  sacred, 
silent  dedication  to  the  great  task  to  which  he  had 
been  called.  The  spirit  in  which  he  entered  upon  this 
task  is  revealed  in  the  beautiful  words  spoken,  Feb- 
ruary 11,  1861,  to  his  friends  and  neighbors  as  he  left 
his  home  which  he  was  never  to  see  again : 

"My  Friends  :  No  one,  not  in  my  situation,  can  ap- 
preciate my  feeling  of  sadness  at  this  parting.  To 
this  place,  and  the  kindness  of  these  people,  I  owe 
everything.  Here  I  have  lived  a  quarter  of  a  century, 
and  have  passed  from  a  young  to  an  old  man.  Here 
my  children  have  been  born,  and  one  is  buried.  I  now 
leave,  not  knowing  when  or  whether  ever  I  may  re- 
turn, with  a  task  before  me  greater  than  that  which 
rested  upon  Washington.  Without  the  assistance  of 
that  Divine  Being  who  ever  attended  him,  I  cannot 
succeed.  With  that  assistance,  I  cannot  fail.  Trust- 
ing in  Him  who  can  go  with  me,  and  remain  with  you, 
and  be  everywhere  for  good,  let  us  confidently  hope 
that  all  will  yet  be  well.  To  His  care  commending 
you,  as  I  hope  in  your  prayers  you  will  commend  me, 
I  bid  you  an  affectionate  farewell." 

This  same  spirit  of  humility,  claiming  little  for  him- 
self, trusting  in  God  for  guidance  and  assistance,  and 
relying  upon  the  people  for  sympathy  and  support, 
manifested  itself  in  his  every  utterance  on  his  journey 
to  Washington. 

At  Columbus,  Ohio,  on  February  13,  he  said: 

"I  cannot  but  know  what  you  all  know,  that  without 
a  name,  perhaps  without  a  reason  why  I  should  have  a 
name,  there  has  fallen  upon  me  a  task  such  as  did  not 


LINCOLN'S  HUMILITY  23 

rest  even  upon  the  Father  of  his  Country;  and  so 
feeling,  I  can  turn  and  look  for  that  support  without 
which  it  will  be  impossible  for  me  to  perform  that 
great  task.  I  turn,  then,  and  look  to  the  American 
people,  and  to  that  God  who  has  never  forsaken  them." 

At  Steubenville,  Ohio,  the  following  day : 

"I  fear  that  the  great  confidence  placed  in  my  abil- 
ity is  unfounded.  Indeed,  I  am  sure  it  is.  .  .  . 
If  I  adopt  a  wrong  policy,  the  opportunity  for  con- 
demnation will  occur  in  four  years'  time.  Then  I  can 
be  turned  out,  and  a  better  man  with  better  views  put 
in  my  place." 

At  Pittsburgh,  February  15 : 

"By  the  Constitution,  the  executive  may  recommend 
measures  which  he  may  think  proper,  and  he  may  veto 
those  he  thinks  improper,  and  it  is  supposed  that  he 
may  add  to  these  certain  indirect  influences  to  affect 
the  action  of  Congress.  My  political  education  strong- 
ly inclines  me  against  a  very  free  use  of  any  of  these 
means  by  the  executive  to  control  the  legislation  of 
the  country.  As  a  rule,  I  think  it  better  that  Congress 
should  originate  as  well  as  perfect  its  measures  with- 
out external  bias." 

On  the  same  day  at  Cleveland,  he  addressed  a  great 
crowd  of  people  who  had  marched  or  stood  in  the  rain 
for  two  hours  awaiting  his  train : 

"The  large  numbers  that  have  turned  out  under 
these  circumstances  testify  that  you  are  in  earnest 
about  something,  and  what  is  that  something?  I 
would  not  have  you  suppose  that  I  think  this  extreme 
earnestness  is  about  me.  I  should  be  exceedingly 
sorry  to  see  such  devotion  if  that  were  the  case.  But 
I  know  it  is  paid  to  something  worth  more  than  any 


24  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

one  man,  or  any  thousand  or  ten  thousand  men.  You 
have  assembled  to  testify  your  devotion  to  the  Consti- 
tution, to  the  Union,  and  the  laws,  to  the  perpetual 
liberty  of  the  people  of  this  country." 

Before  the  New  York  Legislature  at  Albany,  Feb- 
ruary 18: 

"It  is  true  that  while  I  hold  myself,  without  mock 
modesty,  the  humblest  of  all  individuals  that  have 
ever  been  elevated  to  the  Presidency,  I  have  a  more 
difficult  task  to  perform  than  any  one  of  them." 

In  Independence  Hall,  Philadelphia,  early  in  the 
morning  of  Washington's  birthday,  he  took  part  in 
raising  a  new  flag,  and  said: 

"All  the  political  sentiments  I  entertain  have  been 
drawn,  so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  draw  them,  from 
the  sentiments  which  originated  in  and  were  given  to 
the  world  from  this  hall.  I  have  never  had  a  feeling, 
politically,  that  did  not  spring  from  the  sentiments 
embodied  in  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  .  . 
I  have  often  inquired  of  myself  what  great  principle 
or  idea  it  was  that  kept  this  Confederacy  so  long  to- 
gether. It  was  not  the  mere  matter  of  separation  of 
the  colonies  from  the  motherland,  but  that  sentiment 
in  the  Declaration  of  Independence  which  gave  liberty 
not  alone  to  the  people  of  this  country,  but  hope  to  all 
the  world,  for  all  future  time.  .  .  .  This  is  the 
sentiment  embodied  in  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence. Now,  my  friends,  can  this  country  be  saved  on 
that  basis?  If  it  can,  I  will  consider  myself  one  of 
the  happiest  men  in  the  world  if  I  can  help  to  save 
it.  .  .  .  But  if  this  country  cannot  be  saved  with- 
out giving  up  that  principle,  I  was  about  to  say  I 
would  rather  be  assassinated  on  this  spot  than  sur- 
render it." 


LINCOLN'S  HUMILITY  25 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  at  Harrisburg, 
Lincoln  related  his  experiences  of  the  morning  in  Inde- 
pendence Hall  and  then  added : 

"Our  friends  there  had  provided  a  magnificent  flag 
of  the  country.  They  had  arranged  it  so  that  I  was 
given  the  honor  of  raising  it  to  the  head  of  its  staff, 
and  when  it  went  up  I  was  pleased  that  it  went  to  its 
place  by  the  strength  of  my  own  feeble  arm.  When, 
according  to  the  arrangement,  the  cord  was  pulled,  and 
it  floated  gloriously  to  the  wind,  without  an  accident, 
in  the  bright,  glowing  sunshine  of  the  morning,  I 
could  not  help  hoping  that  there  was  in  the  entire 
success  of  that  beautiful  ceremony  at  least  something 
of  an  omen  of  what  is  to  come.  Nor  could  I  help  feel- 
ing then,  as  I  have  often  felt,  that  in  the  whole  of  that 
proceeding  I  was  a  very  humble  instrument.  I  had  not 
provided  the  flag ;  I  had  not  made  the  arrangements  for 
elevating  it  to  its  place ;  I  had  applied  but  a  very  small 
portion  of  even  my  feeble  strength  in  raising  it.  In  the 
whole  transaction  I  was  in  the  hands  of  the  people  who 
had  arranged  it,  and  if  I  can  have  the  same  generous 
co-operation  of  the  people  of  this  nation,  I  think  the  flag 
of  our  country  may  yet  be  kept  flaunting  gloriously." 

It  is  impossible  to  imagine  the  emotions  which  must 
have  stirred  the  humble  soul  of  Abraham  Lincoln  as 
he  closed  his  First  Inaugural  Address  with  the  immor- 
tal words  so  expressive  of  his  sympathetic,  generous, 
forgiving  spirit: 

"In  your  hands,  my  dissatisfied  fellow-countrymen, 
and  not  in  mine,  is  the  momentous  issue  of  civil  war. 
The  government  will  not  assail  you.  You  can  have  no 
conflict  without  being  yourselves  the  aggressors. 
You  have  no  oath  registered  in  heaven  to  destroy  the 


26  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

government,  while  I  shall  have  the  most  solemn  one  'to 
preserve,  protect,  and  defend  it/ 

"I  am  loath  to  close.  We  are  not  enemies,  but 
friends.  We  must  not  be  enemies.  Though  passion 
may  have  strained,  it  must  not  break  our  bonds  of  af- 
fection. The  mystic  chords  of  memory,  stretching 
from  every  battlefield  and  patriot  grave  to  every 
living  heart  and  hearthstone  all  over  this  broad  land, 
will  yet  swell  the  chorus  of  the  Union  when  again 
touched,  as  surely  they  will  be,  by  the  better  angels 
of  our  nature." 

The  Gettysburg  Address  has  well  been  described  as 
being  unique  not  only  for  what  it  contains  but  also 
for  what  it  omits.  It  gives,  in  the  small  compass  of 
only  two  hundred  and  sixty-eight  words,  one  hundred 
and  ninety-six  of  which  are  words  of  one  syllable, 
the  most  complete  and  eloquent  expression  ever  re- 
corded of  th.e  ideals  of  free  government  and  of  the  pur- 
poses of  a  civil  war  waged  in  its  defense,  together  with 
the  most  touching  tribute  ever  spoken  in  memory  of 
the  soldier  dead.  It  omits  everything  of  a  harsh,  un- 
kind, or  critical  nature,  as  well  as  everything  sugges- 
tive of  personal  exaltation  or  triumph.  No  pronoun  of 
the  first  person,  singular  number,  mars  the  unsur- 
passed beauty  of  the  unrivaled  diction  of  this  prose 
poem,  which  breathes  the  spirit  of  humility  in  every 
line.  In  this  immortal  address,  Lincoln  reached  the 
heights  of  sublimity  through  the  depths  of  humility, 
3vhen  he  said : 

"But,  in  a  larger  sense,  we  cannot  dedicate — we 
cannot  consecrate — we  cannot  hallow  this  ground. 
The  brave  men,  living  and  dead,  who  struggled  here, 


LINCOLN'S  HUMILITY  27 

have  consecrated  it  far  above  our  poor  power  to  add 
or  detract.  The  world  will  little  note,  nor  long  re- 
member what  we  say  here,  but  it  can  never  forget 
what  they  did  here." 

In  the  early  hours  of  the  morning  of  November  9, 
1864,  Lincoln  left  the  War  Department,  where  he  had 
gone  the  evening  before  to  receive  the  news  of  his 
triumphant  re-election  to  the  Presidency.  A  feeling 
of  exultation  on  his  part  would  certainly  have  been 
pardonable,  under  the  circumstances.  But  no  such 
feeling  possessed  him.  On  the  contrary,  his  mind  and 
heart  were  overflowing  with  humility,  gratitude,  and 
generosity,  as  indicated  by  his  remarks  to  a  group  of 
serenaders  who  greeted  him: 

"I  am  thankful  to  God  for  this  approval  of  the  peo- 
ple ;  but,  while  deeply  grateful  for  this  mark  of  their 
confidence  in  me,  if  I  know  my  heart,  my  gratitude  is 
free  from  any  taint  of  personal  triumph.  I  do  not  im- 
pugn the  motives  of  any  one  opposed  to  me.  It  is  no 
pleasure  to  me  to  triumph  over  any  one." 

A  few  days  after  these  words  were  spoken,  the  great 
President  found  time  in  his  busy  life  to  write  the  his- 
toric letter  to  Mrs.  Bixby,  a  framed  copy  of  which 
adorns  the  walls  of  one  of  the  colleges  of  Oxford  Uni- 
versity, England — placed  there  by  the  direction  of  the 
faculty  of  that  great  institution,  as  being  the  finest 
specimen  of  English  ever  written.  But  it  is  much  more 
than  a  fine  specimen  of  English.  It  reveals  in  a  marked 
manner  the  heart  of  humility  which  characterized  Lin- 
coln, who  would  not  presume  to  intrude  his  own  per- 
sonality upon  the  grief -stricken  mother,  but  with  rare 


28  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

delicacy  tendered  to  her  the  consolation  that  could  be 
found  in  the  thanks  of  the  Republic  her  five  sons  had 
died  to  save. 

Lincoln's  Letter  to  Mrs.  Bixby 

"I  have  been  shown  in  the  files  of  the  War  Depart- 
ment a  statement  of  the  Adjutant-General  of  Massa- 
chusetts that  you  are  the  mother  of  five  sons  who 
have  died  gloriously  on  the  field  of  battle.  I  feel  how 
weak  and  fruitless  must  be  any  words  of  mine  which 
should  attempt  to  beguile  you  from  the  grief  of  a  loss 
so  overwhelming.  But  I  cannot  refrain  from  tender- 
ing to  you  the  consolation  that  may  be  found  in  the 
thanks  of  the  Republic  they  died  to  save.  I  pray  that 
our  Heavenly  Father  may  assuage  the  anguish  of  your 
bereavement,  and  leave  you  only  the  cherished  mem- 
ory of  the  loved  and  lost,  and  the  solemn  pride  that 
must  be  yours  to  have  laid  so  costly  a  sacrifice  upon 
the  altar  of  freedom." 

On  March  1,  1865,  the  usual  congressional  com- 
mittee waited  upon  President  Lincoln  and  formally 
notified  him  of  his  re-election  by  the  electoral  college. 
To  this  notification  he  responded  by  reading  the  fol- 
lowing brief  address  expressive  of  the  same  humility, 
gratitude,  and  generosity  manifested  in  his  informal 
remarks  to  the  friends  who  greeted  him  on  the  morn- 
ing of  November  9 : 

"With  deep  gratitude  to  my  countrymen  for  this 
mark  of  their  confidence ;  with  a  distrust  of  my  own 
ability  to  perform  the  duty  required  under  the  most 
favorable  circumstances,  and  now  rendered  doubly 
difficult  by  existing  national  perils;  yet  with  a  firm 
reliance  on  the  strength  of  our  free  government,  and 
the  eventual  loyalty  of  the  people  to  the  just  princi- 


LINCOLN'S  HUMILITY  29 

pies  upon  which  it  is  founded ;  and  above  all,  with  an 
unshaken  faith  in  the  Supreme  Ruler  of  Nations,  I 
accept  this  trust/' 

No  more  sublime  utterances  ever  fell  from  the  lips 
of  a  human  being  than  those  contained  in  the  Second 
Inaugural  Address  of  President  Lincoln,  delivered  on 
March  4,  1865,  "in  a  diction  rivaling  the  fire  and  dig- 
nity of  the  old  Hebrew  prophecies/'  to  quote  a  phrase 
from  Nicolay  and  Hay.  In  this  Inaugural,  one  of  the 
briefest  in  our  history,  the  President  contrasts  the 
conditions  existing  at  the  time  of  his  first  inauguration 
and  the  present  one ;  discusses  in  a  few  comprehensive 
sentences  the  relation  of  the  war  to  slavery;  calls  at- 
tention to  the  unexpected  duration  of  the  war  to  both 
the  North  and  the  South ;  and  then,  in  the  most  humble 
and  forgiving  spirit,  declares  his  belief  in  "the  eternal 
law  of  compensation,"  and  closes  with  these  words  of 
appeal : 

"With  malice  toward  none,  with  charity  for  all, 
with  firmness  in  the  right,  as  God  gives  us  to  see  the 
right,  let  us  strive  on  to  finish  the  work  we  are  in ;  to 
bind  up  the  nation's  wounds;  to  care  for  him  who 
shall  have  borne  the  battle,  and  for  his  widow,  and 
his  orphan — to  do  all  which  may  achieve  and  cherish 
a  just  and  lasting  peace  among  ourselves,  and  with 
all  nations."  • 

It  was  in  reply  to  the  congratulations  of  his  friend, 
Thurlow  Weed,  upon  his  notification  speech  and  in- 
augural address,  that  Lincoln  expressed  his  own  views 
of  that  address  with  characteristic  frankness,  simplic- 
ity, and  humility : 


30  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

"Every  one  likes  a  compliment.  Thank  you  for 
yours  on  my  little  notification  speech  and  on  the  re- 
cent inaugural  address.  I  expect  the  latter  to  wear 
as  well  as — perhaps  better  than — anything  I  have 
produced;  but  I  believe  it  is  not  immediately  popular. 
Men  are  not  flattered  by  being  shown  that  there  has 
been  a  difference  of  purpose  between  the  Almighty 
and  them.  To  deny  it,  however,  in  this  case,  is  to 
deny  that  there  is  a  God  governing  the  world.  It  is  a 
truth  which  I  thought  needed  to  be  told,  and,  as  what- 
ever of  humiliation  there  is  in  it  falls  most  directly 
on  myself,  I  thought  others  might  afford  for  me  to 
tell  it." 

On  April  9,  1865,  came  the  surrender  at  Appomat- 
tox, which  was  a  prophecy  of  the  near  approach  of  the 
end  of  the  war  whose  burdens  Lincoln  had  borne  for 
four  years  with  unspeakable  sadness  and  anxiety. 
The  few  days  still  allotted  to  him  to  live  were  days  of 
happy  relief  from  the  long  strain  to  which  he  had  been 
subjected.  The  fateful  fourteenth  of  April  was  one  of 
the  happiest  days  of  his  entire  life.  His  mind  was 
busy  with  plans  for  the  full  restoration  of  the  Union, 
which  he  hoped  soon  to  see  realized,  and  his  heart  was 
overflowing  with  gratitude  "free  from  any  taint  of 
personal  triumph."  But  that  happy  day  was  to  be  fol- 
lowed by  the  saddest  night  in  our  nation's  history — 
the  night  which  witnessed  the  assassination  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln,  the  kindest  man  the  world  has  ever 
known. 

For  the  first  time  the  telegraph  was  used  to  carry 
to  the  world  the  tidings  of  a  tragedy  which  produced 
world-wide  sorrow,  in  the  midst  of  which  the  victory 


LINCOLN'S  HUMILITY  31 

at  Appomattox  was,  in  a  large  measure,  lost  sight  of. 
As  a  result,  there  was  no  organized  expression  of  re- 
joicing over  the  downfall  of  the  rebellion.  And  as 
we  think  of  Lincoln's  humility,  hearty  accord  will  be 
given  to  the  statement  of  John  G.  Nicolay,  his  private 
secretary  and  biographer  in  his  A  Short  Life  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln: 

"It  was  unquestionably  best  that  it  should  be  so ;  and 
Lincoln  himself  would  not  have  had  it  otherwise.  He 
hated  the  arrogance  of  triumph ;  and  even  in  his  cruel 
death  he  would  have  been  glad  to  know  that  his  pas- 
sage to  eternity  would  prevent  too  loud  an  exultation 
over  the  vanquished." 

It  was  the  belief  of  John  Ruskin  that  the  first  test 
of  a  truly  great  man  is  his  humility.  In  all  the  expe- 
riences of  his  life,  Abraham  Lincoln  met  and  perfectly 
passed  this  test.  As  a  result,  he  is  to-day  enshrined  in 
the  hearts  of  millions  of  the  so-called  common  people, 
who  love  him  and  who  revere  his  memory  because 
they  know  that  his  great  heart  always  beat  true  in  the 
common  cause  of  a  common  humanity. 

On  each  recurring  anniversary  of  his  birth,  in  ever- 
increasing  numbers,  children  in  the  public  schools 
study  with  interest  and  profit  the  story  of  his  early 
struggles  with  poverty  and  misfortune;  students  in 
colleges  are  encouraged  to  persevere  in  their  work  by 
his  experience  in  educating  himself  practically  without 
the  help  of  either  schools  or  teachers;  people  of  all 
classes  and  conditions,  in  homes  and  churches  and 
great  mass  meetings  and  banquet  halls,  unite  in  pay- 
ing tribute  to  his  memory  and  in  pledging  anew  their 


32  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

allegiance  to  the  principles  for  which  he  lived  and 
died. 

We  honor  ourselves  in  gratefully  acknowledging  the 
debt  of  gratitude  we  owe  him.  And  we  can  im- 
measurably bless  our  own  lives,  as  well  as  all  the  lives 
we  touch  by  our  influence,  by  dedicating  ourselves  body, 
mind,  and  soul  to  the  high  ideals  of  service  proclaimed 
more  than  nineteen  hundred  years  ago  ^y  the  Lowly 
Nazarene  and  so  perfectly  exemplified  in  the  life  of 
humility  lived  by  Abraham  Lincoln. 

"Whosoever  will  be  great  among  you   let  him  be  your 

minister. 
"And  whosoever  will  be  chief  among  you  let  him  be 

your  servant/' 


CHAPTER  II 
LINCOLN^  REVERENCE 

THE  preceding  chapter  furnishes  conclusive  evi- 
dence of  Lincoln's  Humility — that  dominant  qual- 
ity of  his  great  soul  which  was  the  controlling  factor 
in  all  that  he  said  and  did. 

Closely  related  to  Humility,  that  lowliness  of  mind 
which  leads  all  who  possess  it  in  a  reasonable  degree 
to  esteem  others  better  than  themselves,  is  Reverence, 
another  soul  quality  which  recognizes  that  there  are 
some  things  in  the  world  which  are  sacred  and,  there- 
fore, worthy  of  veneration  and  worship.  Reverence 
cannot  exist  without  humility.  Humility  naturally 
begets  reverence.    As  has  been  truly  said : 

"Reverence  is  one  of  the  signs  of  strength ;  irrever- 
ence one  of  the  surest  indications  of  weakness.  No 
man  will  rise  high  who  jeers  at  sacred  things.  The 
fine  loyalties  of  life  must  be  reverenced  or  they  will 
be  forsworn  in  the  day  of  trial." 

The  pages  of  history  record  many  incidents  which 
illustrate  the  ennobling  effects  of  reverence,  and  also, 
sad  to  relate,  the  destructive  influence  of  irreverence 
upon  human  life  and  character. 

In  1836  Aaron  Burr  died  in  poverty  and  obscurity. 
His  life  began  with  the  most  brilliant  promise.     It 


) 
34  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

ended  in  the  most  dismal  failure.  When  Andrew  Jack- 
son, beneath  whose  rough  exterior  there  was  a  truly 
reverent  soul,  learned  of  Burr's  death,  he  remarked 
to  Francis  P.  Blair,  one  of  his  most  intimate  friends, 
who  was  afterwards  a  cordial  supporter  of  President 
Lincoln : — 

"Burr  came  within  one  trait  of  exalted  greatness." 
Upon  being  asked  by  Mr.  Blair  what  trait  that  was,  he 
replied : 

"Reverence,  sir,  reverence.    I  don't  care  how  smart 
or  how  highly  educated,  or  how  widely  experienced  a 
man  may  be  in  this  world's  affairs,  unless  he  reveres 
something  and  believes  in  somebody  beyond  his  own 
self,  he   will  fall  short  somewhere.     That  was  the 
trouble  with  Burr.    I  saw  it  when  I  first  met  him  at 
Philadelphia  in  1796.     .     ....     I  liked  him  and 

for  many  things  admired  him.  But  I  never  could  get 
over  that  one  impression  that  he  was  irreverent.  And 

that  was  what  stood  in  his  way Yes, 

Blair,  a  man  must  revere  something,  or  no  matter  how 
smart  or  brave  he  is,  he  will  die  as  Burr  died  in  New 
York  the  other  day,  friendless  and  alone." 

Reverence,  which  was  sadly  lacking  in  Aaron  Burr, 
to  whom  nothing  seemed  sacred  either  in  life  or  gov- 
ernment, Abraham  Lincoln  possessed  in  an  unusual 
degree  and  constantly  manifested  in  all  his  life  both 
private  and  public. 

After  he  was  nominated  for  the  Presidency  in  1860 
and  was  asked  to  furnish  material  for  a  history  of  his 
life,  he  replied  that  his  early  life  could  all  be  con- 


Keystone  View  Co. 
SCENE  AT  THE  TIME  OF  THE  LINCOLN-DOUGLAS  DEBATES 

One   of  the   debates   between   Lincoln   and   Douglas   was   held   in    1858 
at  Galesburg,  Illinois,  the  seat  of  Knox  College. 


LINCOLN'S  REVERENCE  37 

densed  into  one  sentence,  found  in  Gray's  Elegy — 
"The  short  and  simple  annals  of  the  poor."  While 
this  is  literally  true,  he  revered  the  memory  of  his 
mother,  who  died  when  he  was  only  nine  years  old, 
and  he  was  always  reverently  considerate  of  his  step- 
mother, who  was  a  woman  of  unusually  strong  char- 
acter and  deeply  devoted  to  his  welfare.  His  love  for 
her  was  shown  in  many  ways  but  in  none  more  strik- 
ing than  in  his  last  visit  with  her  before  he  left  to  as- 
sume his  duties  as  President.  With  the  tears  stream- 
ing down  her  cheeks,  she  gave  him  her  parting  bene- 
diction mingled  with  an  expression  of  fear  that  his  life 
might  be  taken  by  his  enemies  and  that  she  might 
never  see  him  again.  After  her  fears  had  been  re- 
alized, she  paid  him  the  loving  tribute  of  her  heart 
by  saying: 

"He  was  the  best  boy  I  ever  saw  or  expect  to  see." 
Lincoln  also  revered  the  cardinal  virtues,  which 
are  the  foundation  of  all  true  character,  such  as  truth, 
honesty,  and  sincerity.  It  is  related  of  him  that  one 
morning  when  he  was  on  his  way  to  the  woods  with 
his  ax  on  his  shoulder,  he  was  followed  by  his  young 
stepsister,  'Tilda  Johnston,  who  had  been  forbidden 
by  her  mother  from  accompanying  him.  With  true 
girlish  enthusiasm  she  silently  slipped  up  behind  her 
big  brother,  who  was  singing  on  his  way  to  his  work, 
and  with  a  cat-like  leap  jumped  squarely  on  his  back 
and  succeeded  in  throwing  him  to  the  ground.  In  the 
fall,  the  sharp  ax  inflicted  an  ugly  wound  on  'Tilda's 
ankle  from  which  the  blood  flowed  freely.    When  the 


38  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

wound  was  rudely  bound  up  by  a  generous  use  of  the 
brother's  scanty  wardrobe,  and  the  sister's  fright  had 
somewhat  subsided,  he  said:* 

"'Tilda,  what  are  you  going  to  tell  Mother  about 
getting  hurt?" 

"Tell  her  I  did  it  with  the  ax,"  sobbed  the  sister. 
"That  will  be  the  truth,  won't  it?"  To  which  her 
brother  replied: 

"Yes,  that's  the  truth,  but  it  is  not  all  the  truth. 
Tell  the  whole  truth,  'Tilda,  and  trust  your  good 
mother  for  the  rest." 

"Telling  the  whole  truth"  and  "trusting  for  the  rest" 
to  the  justice  which  truth  ultimately  brings,  was  char- 
acteristic of  Lincoln's  entire  life.  Because  of  this 
characteristic,  he  would  not — he  could  not,  in  his  law 
practice,  defend  any  one  who  willfully  misrepresented 
the  facts.  To  one  client  who  unfolded  to  him  the  de- 
tails of  a  dubious  claim,  which  he  pressed  in  a  proposed 
suit  he  said:f 

"Well,  you  have  a  pretty  good  case  in  technical  law, 
but  have  a  pretty  bad  case  in  equity  and  justice.  You'll 
have  to  get  some  one  else  to  win  it  for  you.  I  couldn't 
do  it.  All  the  time  while  standing  before  the  jury,  I'd 
be  thinking,  'Lincoln,  you're  a  liar';  and  I  believe  I 
should  forget  myself  and  say  it  out  loud." 

On  another  occasion,  the  same  author  tells  us,  he 
became  so  disgusted  with  the  evidently  false  statements 
made  by  a  client  on  the  witness  stand  that  he  arose 
and  left  the  court  room.    The  judge  in  charge  of  the 

^Abraham  Lincoln,  by  Herndon  and  Weih. 
t Honest  Abe,  by  Rothschild. 


LINCOLN'S  REVERENCE  39 

case  sent  the  sheriff  to  the  hotel,  where  Lincoln  had 
gone,  to  call  him  back.  When  Lincoln  was  informed 
that  the  judge  wanted  him  to  return,  he  replied :  "Oh, 
does  he?  Well,  you  go  back  and  tell  the  judge  that  I 
can't  come.  My  hands  are  dirty  and  I  came  over  to 
clean  them." 

He  would  not  return,  and  the  untruthful  client  lost 
his  case. 

It  was  reverence  for  the  truth  that  led  Lincoln,  on 
July  17,  1858,  to  make  his  celebrated  "house-divided- 
against-itself"  speech,  in  opposition  to  the  advice  and 
protest  of  many  of  his  closest  friends.  To  their  sug- 
gestion that  it  would  defeat  him  in  his  contest  with 
Douglas  for  the  United  States  Senate,  he  replied : 

"This  thing  has  been  retarded  long  enough.  The 
time  has  come  when  these  sentiments  should  be  uttered, 
and  if  it  is  decreed  that  I  should  go  down  because  of 
this  speech,  then  let  me  go  down  linked  with  the  truth 
— let  me  die  in  the  advocacy  of  what  is  just  and  right." 

Lincoln's  profound  reverence  for  the  truth  and  his 
intense  loyalty  to  the  truth  influenced  in  a  great  degree 
both  his  thinking  and  his  expression  of  thought.  This 
is  clearly  revealed  in  a  beautiful  tribute  to  his  mem- 
ory by  President  J.  M.  Sturtevant  of  Illinois  College, 
who  says : 

"I  knew  Mr.  Lincoln  very  well,  I  may  say  somewhat 
intimately,  before  he  was  ever  thought  of  in  con- 
nection with  the  exalted  station  to  which  he  was  after- 
wards elected.  In  those  years  of  his  comparative  ob- 
scurity, I  knew  him  as  pre-eminently  a  truthful  man. 
His  love  of  truth  was  conspicuous  in  all  his  thinking. 


40  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

The  object  of  his  pursuit  was  truth,  and  not  victory  in 
argument  or  the  triumph  of  his  party,  or  the  success 
of  his  own  cause.  This  was  always  conspicuous  in 
his  conversation.  It  constituted  the  charm  of  his  con- 
versation. In  his  society  one  plainly  saw  that  his  aim 
was  so  to  use  words  as  to  express  and  not  to  conceal 
his  real  thoughts.  This  characteristic  had  formed  his 
style,  both  of  conversation  and  of  writing.  His  ha- 
bitual love  of  truth  had  led  him  successfully  to  cultivate 
such  a  use  of  language  as  would  most  clearly  and  ac- 
curately express  his  thoughts.  His  words  were  a  per- 
fectly transparent  medium  through  which  his  thought 
always  shone  out  with  unclouded  distinctness.  No 
matter  on  what  subject  he  was  speaking,  any  person 
could  understand  him.  This  characteristic  of  his 
mind  and  heart  gave  a  peculiar  complexion  to  his 
speeches,  whether  at  the  bar,  or  in  discussing  the  great 
political  issues  of  the  time." 

Lincoln's  reverence  for  the  Constitution  is  in  strik- 
ing contrast  to  the  lack  of  respect  shown  for  it  by 
those  to  whom  age  either  of  a  person  or  a  government 
seems  to  be  an  object  of  derision  and  contempt.  To 
opinionated  egotism  and  bigoted  self-conceit  ever  ready 
to  speak  and  act  out  of  the  abundance  of  ignorance  or 
the  "arrogance  of  inexperience,"  the  Constitution  may 
appear  to  be  only  an  ordinary  document,  unworthy  of 
respect  even  if  it  has  stood  the  severe  test  of  time  and 
proved  its  perfect  adaptability  to  the  growing  needs 
of  an  advancing  civilization — a  document  to  be 
amended  without  serious  consideration,  upon  the 
slightest  pretext  or  to  be  ignored  or  nullified  at  the  de- 


LINCOLN'S  REVERENCE  41 

mands  of  lawlessness  and  selfishness.  To  Lincoln's 
well-trained  mind,  ripened  judgment,  and  reverent 
soul,  the  Constitution  was  the  sacred  charter  of  our 
government,  worthy  of  the  highest  respect  and  ven- 
eration. 

On  June  20,  1848,  in  a  speech  made  in  the  Congress 
of  the  United  States,  on  the  subject  of  Internal  Im- 
provements, Lincoln  said: 

"I  wish  now  to  submit  a  few  remarks  on  the  general 
proposition  of  amending  the  Constitution.  As  a  gen- 
eral rule,  I  think  we  would  much  better  let  it  alone. 
No  slight  occasion  should  tempt  us  to  touch  it.  Better 
not  take  the  first  step  which  may  lead  to  a  habit  of 
altering  it.  Better,  rather,  habituate  ourselves  to 
thinking  of  it  as  unalterable.  It  can  scarcely  be  made 
better  than  it  is.  New  provisions  would  introduce 
new  difficulties,  and  thus  create  and  increase  appe- 
tite for  further  change.  No,  sir:  let  it  stand  as  it  is. 
New  hands  have  never  touched  it.  The  men  who  made 
it  have  done  their  work,  and  have  passed  away.  Who 
shall  improve  on  what  they  did?" 

With  such  reverence  for  the  Constitution,  the  fun- 
damental law  of  the  land,  it  is  not  surprising  that  he 
always  manifested  the  deepest  reverence  for  laws 
enacted  in  accordance  with  its  provisions.  To  Lincoln 
all  laws,  divine  or  human,  were  sacred. 

His  reverence  for  law  was  publicly  declared  more 
than  a  decade  before  he  made  his  famous  "remarks 
on  the  general  proposition  of  amending  the  Constitu- 
tion." On  January  27,  1837,  when  only  twenty-eight 
years  of  age,  he  delivered  his  remarkable  address  on 
"The  Perpetuation  of  Our  Political  Institutions"  be- 


42  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

fore  the  Young  Men's  Lyceum  of  Springfield,  Illinois 
— a  society  organized  by  Lincoln  and  other  young  men 
in  the  fall  of  1836.  This  address  has  been  the  subject 
of  adverse  criticism  by  at  least  one  of  Lincoln's  recent 
biographers,  who  refers  to  it  as  a  "mere  rhetorical 
stunt,  in  his  worst  vein,  and  deservedly  forgotten." 
The  answer  to  all  such  criticism  is  found  in  the  fact 
that,  notwithstanding  the  address  was  made  in  1837 — 
ninety  years  ago — it  is  still  constantly  referred 
to  and  quoted  from  as  having  a  direct  bearing  upon 
present-day  conditions.  Long  after  the  author  of 
such  criticism  is  dead  and  forgotten,  the  address  will 
live  and  be  remembered  because  it  strongly  empha- 
sizes the  importance  and  necessity  of  reverence  for 
law  and  obedience  to  law,  both  of  which  are  absolutely 
essential  to  the  life  of  any  government. 

In  the  opening  paragraph  of  this  address,  attention 
is  called  to  the  indisputable  fact  that  the  people  of  this 
nation  are  the  legal  inheritors  of  the  fundamental 
blessings  of  civil  and  religious  liberty  bequeathed  as 
a  legacy  by  the  fathers  who  had  purchased  them  at  the 
cost  of  self-sacrifice  and  sometimes  of  even  life  it- 
self. It  was,  therefore,  the  task  of  each  generation 
to  transmit  these  blessings  to  the  next,  and  so  on  to 
"the  latest  generation  that  fate  shall  permit  the  world 
to  know."  "This  task,"  declared  Lincoln,  "gratitude 
to  our  fathers,  justice  to  ourselves,  duty  to  posterity, 
and  love  for  our  species  in  general,  all  imperatively  re- 
quire us  faithfully  to  perform." 

It  was  Lincoln's  belief  that  whatever  grave  dangers 
threatened  to  interfere  with  the  performance  of  this 


LINCOLN'S  REVERENCE  43 

task,  were  within,  rather  than  without  the  Republic, 
and  he  declared : 

"If  destruction  be  our  lot  we  must  ourselves  be  its 
author  and  finisher.  As  a  nation  of  freemen  we  must 
live  through  all  time  or  die  by  suicide." 

Even  then  he  called  attention  to  "something  of  ill 
omen  amongst  us — the  increasing  disregard  for  law 
which  pervades  the  country — the  growing  disposition 
to  substitute  the  wild  and  furious  passions  in  lieu  of 
the  sober  judgment  of  courts,  and  the  worse  than 
savage  mobs  for  the  executive  ministers  of  justice." 
The  remedy  he  proposed  then  is  the  remedy  needed 
now — the  only  remedy  which  will  ever  cure  law- 
lessness : 

"Let  every  American,  every  lover  of  liberty,  every 
well-wisher  to  his  posterity  swear  by  the  blood  of  the 
Revolution  never  to  violate  in  the  least  particular  the 
laws  of  the  country,  and  never  to  tolerate  their  viola- 
tion by  others.  As  the  patriots  of  seventy-six  did  to 
the  support  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  so  to 
the  support  of  the  Constitution  and  laws  let  every 
American  pledge  his  life,  his  property,  and  his  sacred 
honor — let  every  man  remember  that  to  violate  the 
law  is  to  trample  on  the  blood  of  his  father,  and  to 
tear  the  charter  of  his  own  and  his  children's  liberty. 
Let  reverence  for  the  laws  be  breathed  by  every 
American  mother  to  the  lisping  babe  that  prattles  on 
her  lap;  let  it  be  taught  in  schools,  in  seminaries,  and 
in  colleges;  let  it  be  written  in  primers,  spelling- 
books,  and  in  almanacs;  let  it  be  preached  from  the 
pulpit,  proclaimed  in  legislative  halls,  and  enforced 
in  courts  of  justice.  And,  in  short,  let  it  become  the 
political  religion  of  the  nation;  and  let  the  old  and 


44  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

the  young,  the  rich  and  the  poor,  the  grave  and  the 
gay  of  all  sexes  and  tongues  and  colors  and  condi- 
tions, sacrifice  unceasingly  upon  its  altars." 

The  primary  cause  of  lawlessness  in  any  nation  is  a 
lack  of  reverence  for  law,  which  can  be  corrected  only 
by  the  united  and  persistent  effort  of  homes,  schools, 
churches,  newspapers,  law  makers,  and  courts  in  in- 
sisting that  all  constitutionally  enacted  laws  are  sacred, 
should  be  reverenced,  and  must  be  enforced. 

Reverence  for  the  Constitution  and  the  laws  of  the 
Republic  naturally  leads  to  reverence  for  the  rights 
which  the  Constitution  and  the  laws  were  adopted  and 
enacted  to  protect.  These  rights  include  human 
rights  and  property  rights — the  rights  of  both  labor 
and  capital,  all  of  which  stand  or  fall  together. 

It  is  not  uncommon  to  hear  or  to  read  statements  of 
a  radical  nature,  relative  to  these  rights,  which  are 
credited  to  Lincoln — statements  which  he  never  made 
and  which  any  student  of  his  life  and  character  would 
at  once  recognize  as  being  a  part  of  false  propaganda 
on  the  part  of  some  one  who  was  attempting  to  secure 
support  for  a  wrong  cause  by  misrepresenting  Lin- 
coln's attitude  toward  that  cause.  He  is  often  quoted 
as  having  prophesied  "the  ruinous  reign  of  the  money 
power,"  and  in  various  ways  attempting  to  incite  a 
warfare  between  capital  and  labor.  Nothing  could  be 
farther  from  the  truth.  His  attitude  toward  both 
labor  and  property  is  definitely  stated  in  his  "Remarks 
on  the  Interest  of  Labor  in  Respecting  Rights  of 
Property,"  made  March  21,  1864,  to  a  Committee  from 
the  Workingmen's  Association  of  New  York : 


LINCOLN'S  REVERENCE  45 

"The  strongest  bond  of  human  sympathy,  outside 
of  the  family  relation,  should  be  one  uniting  all 
working  people,  of  all  nations,  and  tongues,  and  kin- 
dreds. Nor  should  this  lead  to  a  war  upon  property,  or 
the  owners  of  property.  Property  is  the  fruit  of  la- 
bor; property  is  desirable;  is  a  positive  good  in  the 
world.  That  some  should  be  rich  shows  that  others 
may  become  rich,  and  hence  is  just  encouragement  to 
industry  and  enterprise.  Let  not  him  who  is  house- 
less pull  down  the  house  of  another,  but  let  him  work 
diligently  and  build  one  for  himself,  thus  by  example 
assuring  that  his  own  shall  be  safe  from  violence 
when  built." 

Whenever  Abraham  Lincoln  is  quoted  as  being  on 
the  wrong  side  of  any  great  moral  issue  or  as  express- 
ing radical  views  regarding  any  great  social  or  eco- 
nomic question,  it  is  always  safe  to  conclude  that  he 
has  been  misquoted  either  because  of  ignorance, 
which  is  inexcusable,  or  because  of  a  purpose  to  de- 
ceive, which  is  criminal. 

Charges  have  been  made  from  time  to  time  that 
Lincoln  was  an  agnostic,  an  infidel,  and  an  atheist. 
Usually  such  charges  have  originated  with  men  who 
were,  themselves,  skeptically  inclined,  and  who 
evidently  desired  to  place  Lincoln  in  their  class  be- 
cause of  the  support  which  his  name  would  bring  to 
their  cause.  The  refutation  of  all  such  charges  is 
found  in  Lincoln's  life  as  revealed  in  his  words  and 
deeds,  which  prove  beyond  doubt  that  he  was  a  man 
of  profound  faith  in  God  and  of  the  deepest  reverence 
for  everything  associated  with  His  name. 

His  reverence  for  the  Bible  is  shown  not  only  in 


46  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

the  manner  and  the  frequency  with  which  he  quoted 
from  its  pages  but  also  in  what  he  said  about  it  on 
different  occasions. 

On  September  7, 1864,  in  accepting  a  Bible  presented 
by  a  committee  of  colored  people  from  Baltimore,  he 
said: 

"In  regard  to  this  great  book,  I  have  but  to  say  it 
is  the  best  gift  God  has  given  to  man. 

"All  the  good  Savior  gave  to  the  world  was  com- 
municated through  this  book.  But  for  it  we  could  not 
know  right  from  wrong.  All  things  most  desirable  for 
man's  welfare,  here  and  hereafter,  are  to  be  found  por- 
trayed in  it." 

In  the  summer  of  1864,  Lincoln  and  his  family  lived 
for  a  short  time  at  the  Soldiers'  Home  near  Washing- 
ton. .While  there  his  life-long  friend,  Joshua  Speed, 
visited  them.  Upon  entering  the  room  he  found  the 
President  sitting  near  a  window  reading  his  Bible,  and 
remarked  that  he  was  glad  to  see  him  "so  profitably 
engaged."  To  this  Lincoln  replied,  "Yes,  I  am  profit- 
ably engaged,"  and  then  in  one  terse  statement,  which 
revealed  his  belief  in  and  reverence  for  the  Bible,  he 
suggested  how  it  should  be  read : 

"Take  all  of  this  book  upon  reason  that  you  can, 
and  the  balance  on  faith,  and  you  will  live  and  die  a 
happier  man." 

Lincoln's  addresses,  messages  to  Congress,  and 
other  state  papers,  are  filled  with  statements  which 
plainly  indicate  his  reverence  for  the  Bible  and  for  the 
God  therein  revealed.  In  his  First  Inaugural  Address, 
he  declared: 


LINCOLN'S  REVERENCE  47 

"Intelligence,  patriotism,  Christianity,  and  a  firm 
reliance  on  Him  who  has  never  yet  forsaken  this  fav- 
ored land,  are  still  competent  to  adjust  in  the  best 
way  all  our  present  difficulty." 

Four  years  later,  in  his  Second  Inaugural  Address, 
with  his  reverent  soul  chastened  by  four  years  of  terri- 
ble agony  due  to  civil  war  between  the  North  and 
South,  both  of  which  he  passionately  loved,  his  rever- 
ence again  manifests  itself  as  he  declares: 

"The  Almighty  has  His  own  purposes.  'Woe  unto 
the  world  because  of  offences!  for  it  must  needs  be 
that  offences  come;  but  woe  to  that  man  by  whom  the 
offence  cometh/  If  we  shall  suppose  that  American 
slavery  is  one  of  those  offences  which,  in  the  provi- 
dence of  God,  must  needs  come,  but  which,  having 
continued  through  His  appointed  time,  He  now  wills 
to  remove,  and  that  He  gives  to  both  North  and  South 
this  terrible  war,  as  the  woe  due  to  those  by  whom 
the  offence  came,  shall  we  discern  therein  any  depart- 
ure from  those  divine  attributes  which  the  believers 
in  a  living  God  always  ascribe  to  Him?  Fondly  do  we 
hope  —  fervently  do  we  pray  —  that  this  mighty 
scourge  of  war  may  speedily  pass  away.  Yet,  if  God 
wills  that  it  continue  until  all  the  wealth  piled  by  the 
bondman's  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  of  unrequited 
toil  shall  be  sunk,  and  until  every  drop  of  blood 
drawn  with  the  lash  shall  be  paid  by  another  drawn 
with  the  sword,  as  was  said  three  thousand  years  ago, 
so  still  it  must  be  said,  'The  judgments  of  the  Lord 
are  true,  and  righteous  altogether.'  " 

In  response  to  a  resolution  by  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States  that  the  President  be  requested  "to 
designate  and  set  apart  a  day  for  national  prayer  and 


48  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

humiliation,"  Lincoln  issued  his  Proclamation  of  March 
30,  1863,  in  which  he  gave  indisputable  evidence  of 
his  deep  reverence  and  profound  faith.  In  this  Procla- 
mation attention  is  called  to  "the  duty  of  nations  as 
well  as  of  men  to  own  their  dependence  upon  the  over- 
ruling power  of  God;  to  confess  their  sins  and  trans- 
gressions in  humble  sorrow,  yet  with  assured  hope 
that  genuine  repentance  will  lead  to  mercy  and  par- 
don ;  and  to  recognize  the  sublime  truth,  announced  in 
the  Holy  Scriptures  and  proved  by  all  history,  that 
those  nations  only  are  blessed  whose  God  is  the  Lord." 

Declaring  his  belief  that  "nations,  like  individuals, 
are  subjected  to  punishments  and  chastisements,"  he 
inquires  whether  "we  may  not  justly  fear  that  the  aw- 
ful calamity  of  civil  war  which  now  desolates  the  land 
may  be  but  a  punishment  inflicted  upon  us  for  our  pre- 
sumptuous sins,  to  the  needful  end  of  our  national  ref- 
ormation as  a  whole  people." 

He  then  recites  how  the  people  of  the  United  States 
had  been  "the  recipients  of  the  choicest  bounties  of 
Heaven";  how  they  "had  been  preserved,  these  many 
years,  in  peace  and  prosperity" ;  how  they  had  "grown 
in  numbers,  wealth,  and  power  as  no  other  nation  has 
ever  grown."  And  then,  with  a  keen  realization  of  the 
effects  produced  by  material  success,  he  adds: 

"But  we  have  forgotten  God.  We  have  forgotten 
the  gracious  Hand  which  preserved  us  in  peace,  and 
multiplied  and  enriched  and  strengthened  us ;  and  we 
have  vainly  imagined,  in  the  deceitfulness  of  our 
hearts,  that  all  these  blessings  were  produced  by  some 
superior  wisdom  and  virtue  of  our  own.    Intoxicated 


LINCOLN'S  REVERENCE  49 

with  unbroken  success,  we  have  become  too  self-suffi- 
cient to  feel  the  necessity  of  redeeming  and  preserv- 
ing grace,  too  proud  to  pray  to  the  God  that  made  us. 
"It  behooves  us,  then,  to  humble  ourselves  before 
the  offended  power,  to  confess  our  national  sins,  and 
to  pray  for  clemency  and  forgiveness." 

The  closing  paragraph  of  this  remarkable  Proclama- 
tion named  April  30,  1863,  "as  a  day  of  national  hu- 
miliation, fasting,  and  prayer"  and  requested  "all  the 
people  to  abstain  on  that  day  from  their  ordinary  sec- 
ular pursuits,  and  to  unite  at  their  several  places  of 
public  worship  and  their  respective  homes  in  keep- 
ing the  day  holy  to  the  Lord,  and  devoted  to  the  hum- 
ble discharge  of  the  religious  duties  proper  to  that 
solemn  occasion." 

Lincoln  reverenced  the  Sabbath  Day,  He  was  a 
regular  attendant  upon  the  services  of  the  church  both 
in  Springfield  and  Washington.  His  order  for  Sab- 
bath Observance  issued  November  15,  1862,  plainly 
indicates  both  his  reverence  for  the  day  and  his  belief 
in  the  importance  of  its  sacred  observance.  In  that 
order  he  says : 

"The  President,  Commander-in-chief  of  the  Army 
and  Navy,  desires  and  enjoins  the  orderly  observance 
of  the  Sabbath  by  the  officers  and  men  in  the  military 
and  naval  service.  The  importance  for  man  and  beast 
of  the  prescribed  weekly  rest,  the  sacred  rights  of 
Christian  soldiers  and  sailors,  a  becoming  deference 
to  the  best  sentiments  of  a  Christian  people,  and  a 
due  regard  for  the  Divine  will,  demand  that  Sunday 
labor  in  the  army  and  navy  be  reduced  to  the  measure 
of  strict  necessity.     The  discipline  and  character  of 


50  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

the  national  forces  should  not  suffer,  nor  the  cause 
they  defend  be  imperilled,  by  the  profanation  of  the 
day  or  name  of  the  Most  High." 

Lincoln's  reverence  for  the  church  and  the  worship 
which  its  services  promote,  was  shown,  while  he  was 
President,  not  alone  by  his  attendance  on  Sunday  but 
also  at  the  weekly  meeting.  The  late  William  Henry 
Roberts,  D.  D.,  for  so  many  years  Stated  Clerk  of  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the 
U.  S.  A.,  testifies  to  that  fact  in  his  Foreword  to 
Abraham  Lincoln,  The  Christian,  by  William  J.  John- 
son, under  date  of  November  26,  1912: 

"It  was  my  privilege  as  a  young  man  to  have  known 
Abraham  Lincoln.  Entering  the  service  of  the  United 
States  government  in  the  fall  of  1863,  the  first  Sab- 
bath of  my  sojourn  in  Washington  City  I  went  to  the 
New  York  Avenue  Presbyterian  Church.  When  the 
time  for  the  long  prayer  came,  according  to  imme- 
morial usage  in  many  Presbyterian  congregations,  a 
number  of  the  men  stood  up  for  prayer,  and  among 
those  upright  figures  I  noticed  in  particular  that  of  the 
President  of  the  United  States.  As  a  member  of  the 
New  York  Avenue  Church  I  was  seated  not  far  from 
Mr.  Lincoln  at  Sunday  services  for  a  year  and  a  half, 
and  his  attitude  was  always  that  of  an  earnest  and 
devout  worshipper.  He  was  also  an  attendant  at  the 
weekly  meeting,  though  for  a  considerable  period  tak- 
ing part  in  the  service,  privately.  It  having  become 
known  that  he  was  an  attendant  at  the  prayer  meet- 
ing, many  persons  would  gather  in  or  near  the  church 
at  the  close  of  the  service  in  order  to  have  access  to 


LINCOLN'S  REVERENCE  51 

him  for  various  purposes.  Desiring  to  put  an  end  to 
these  unwelcome  interruptions,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Phineas 
D.  Gurley,  the  pastor  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  arranged  to  have 
the  President  sit  in  the  pastor's  room,  the  door  of 
which  opened  upon  the  lecture  room,  and  there  Mr. 
Lincoln  would  take  a  silent  part  in  the  service.  He 
informed  his  pastor  on  several  occasions  that  he  had 
received  great  comfort  from  the  meetings,  and  for  the 
reason  that  they  had  been  characterized  more  by 
prayer  than  by  the  making  of  addresses 

"It  will  be  fifty  years  next  fall  since  I  came  into  di- 
rect touch  with  the  man,  who  in  the  providence  of 
God  was  the  liberator  of  a  race,  and  I  shall  always 
hold  in  sweet  and  blessed  memory  my  first  sight  of 
him,  as  a  devout  worshipper  standing  for  prayer  in 
the  sanctuary  of  the  Most  High." 

It  is  gratifying  to  all  lovers  of  Lincoln  that  this 
beautiful  and  impressive  picture  of  the  Great  War 
President,  in  the  attitude  of  a  devout  worshipper,  has 
been  left  us  by  Dr.  Roberts.  It  adds  one  more  link  to 
the  chain  of  evidence  that  Lincoln's  soul  was  filled  with 
reverence,  and  it  increases  the  interest  which  centers 
about  the  historic  church  where  he  regularly  wor- 
shipped and  in  that  way  made  known  his  faith  in  God. 

There  can  be  no  prayer  without  reverence  and  there 
is  no  doubt  that  Lincoln  prayed.  Mr.  Nicolay,  his  sec- 
retary, who  knew  him  most  intimately,  says: 

"There  is  not  the  slightest  doubt  that  he  believed  in 
a  Supreme  Being  of  omnipotent  power  and  omniscient 
watchfulness  over  the  children  of  men,  and  that  this 
great  Being  could  be  reached  by  prayer.    Mr.  Lincoln 


52  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

was  a  praying  man ;  I  know  that  to  be  a  fact.  And  I 
have  heard  him  request  people  to  pray  for  him,  which 
he  would  not  have  done  had  he  not  believed  that  prayer 
is  answered.  Many  a  time  have  I  heard  Mr.  Lincoln 
ask  ministers  and  Christian  women  to  pray  for  him, 
and  he  did  not  do  this  for  effect.  He  was  no  hypo- 
crite, and  had  such  reverence  for  sacred  things  that 
he  would  not  trifle  with  them." 

The  truth  is  that  he  literally  talked  with  God  in  a 
simple,  direct,  familiar  way,  unknown  to  mere  for- 
malists of  the  type  who  "love  to  pray  standing  in  the 
synagogues  and  in  the  corner  of  the  streets  that  they 
may  be  seen  of  men."  Of  the  numerous  instances 
which  prove  that  he  thus  communed  with  God  in 
prayer,  none  is  more  convincing  than  the  one  connected 
with  his  visit  on  July  5,  1863,  to  General  Sickles  as  he 
lay  wounded  in  the  hospital  at  Washington  just  after 
the  great  victory  at  Gettysburg.  To  the  truthfulness 
of  this  incident,  recorded  in  Abraham  Lincoln,  The 
Christian,  General  Sickles  certified  on  February  11, 
1911: 

"In  reply  to  a  question  from  General  Sickles  wheth- 
er or  not  the  President  was  anxious  about  the  battle 
at  Gettysburg,  Lincoln  gravely  said,  'No,  I  was  not; 
some  of  my  Cabinet  and  many  others  in  Washington 
were,  but  I  had  no  fears/  General  Sickles  inquired 
how  this  was,  and  seemed  curious  about  it.  Mr.  Lin- 
coln hesitated,  but  finally  replied:  'Well,  I  will  tell 
you  how  it  was.  In  the  pinch  of  your  campaign  up 
there,  when  everybody  seemed  panic-stricken,  and 
nobody  could  tell  what  was  going  to  happen,  oppressed 
by  the  gravity  of  our  affairs,  I  went  to  my  room  one 


Keystone  View  Co. 

SAINT-GAUDENS'  STATUE   OF  LINCOLN 
This  statue  is  in  Lincoln  Park,  Chicago.    A  replica  stands  in  London. 


LINCOLN'S  REVERENCE  55 

day,  and  I  locked  the  door,  and  got  down  on  my  knees 
before  Almighty  God,  and  prayed  to  Him  mightily  for 
victory  at  Gettysburg.  I  told  Him  that  this  was  His 
war,  and  our  cause  His  cause,  but  we  couldn't 
stand  another  Fredericksburg  or  Chancellorsville. 
And  I  then  and  there  made  a  solemn  vow  to  Almighty 
God,  that  if  He  would  stand  by  our  boys,  at  Gettys- 
burg, I  would  stand  by  Him.  And  He  did  stand  by 
you  boys,  and  I  will  stand  by  Him.  And  after  that  (I 
don't  know  how  it  was,  and  I  can't  explain  it) ,  soon  a 
sweet  comfort  crept  into  my  soul  that  God  Almighty 
had  taken  the  whole  business  into  His  own  hands  and 
that  things  would  go  all  right  at  Gettysburg.  And 
that  is  why  I  had  no  fears  about  you/  " 

In  view  of  the  reverence  which  Lincoln  always  man- 
ifested in  all  the  relations  of  life,  it  is  certainly  most 
fitting,  and  perhaps  more  than  a  mere  coincidence, 
that  the  last  act  of  Congress  signed  by  him  was  the 
one  requiring  that  the  motto,  so  constantly  exempli- 
fied in  his  life,  "In  God  We  Trust,"  should  thereafter 
be  inscribed  upon  all  national  coin;  and  that,  in  the 
last  address  he  ever  made,  April  11,  1865,  in  referring 
to  the  joy  which  "the  hope  of  a  righteous  and  speedy 
peace"  brought,  he  should  say : 

"In  the  midst  of  this,  however,  He  from  whom  all 
blessings  flow  must  not  be  forgotten." 


CHAPTER  III 

LINCOLN'S  LOYALTY 

THE  word  loyalty  is  fraught  with  deep  meaning. 
It  is  synonomous  with  faithfulness  and  devotion  to 
home,  to  friends,  to  lawful  government,  to  a  righteous 
cause,  and  to  a  just  principle. 

Loyalty  implies  moral  consistency  which  is  essential 
to  firmness  of  character.  Moral  consistency  should 
not  be  confounded  with  mere  consistency  of  opinion, 
which  it  is  reasonable  to  assume  Emerson  had  in  mind 
in  the  oft-quoted  sentence  from  his  celebrated  essay 
on  "Self -Reliance" : 

"A  foolish  consistency  is  the  hobgoblin  of  little 
minds,  adored  by  little  statesmen  and  philosophers  and 
divines.  With  consistency  a  great  soul  has  simply 
nothing  to  do.  He  may  as  well  concern  himself  with 
his  shadow  on  the  wall.  Out  upon  your  guarded  lips ! 
Sew  them  up  with  packthread,  do.  Else  if  you  would 
be  a  man  speak  what  you  think  to-day  in  words  as  hard 
as  cannon  balls,  and  to-morrow,  speak  what  to-morrow 
thinks  in  hard  words  again,  though  it  contradict 
everything  you  said  to-day." 

While  there  is  some  truth  in  the  statement  that  only 
fools  never  change  their  minds,  it  is  absolutely  true 
that  only  moral  weaklings  and  moral  cowards  are  de- 


LINCOLN'S  LOYALTY  57 

void  of  moral  consistency.  Only  those  who  have  unal- 
terable convictions  upon  the  great  question  of  right 
and  wrong  are  ever  able  to  speak  to-day  or  to-morrow 
or  any  time  "in  words  as  hard  as  cannon  balls."  With 
consistency  of  opinion,  it  is  certainly  true  that  "a  great 
soul  has  simply  nothing  to  do."  With  moral  consist- 
ency— loyalty  to  a  righteous  cause  or  to  a  just  princi- 
ple— a  great  soul  has  everything  to  do. 

Lack  of  such  loyalty  has  been  the  cause  of  failure  on 
the  part  of  some  otherwise  really  great  men  of  our 
nation,  who  were  unable  in  a  moral  crisis  to  stand 
true  to  what  must  have  appealed  to  them  as  right. 
Instead  they  heeded  the  call  of  passing  expediency 
rather  than  the  enduring  demand  of  fidelity  to  duty. 

Daniel  Webster  is  an  example  of  such  failure.  His 
memorable  "Seventh  of  March  (1850)  Speech"  can  be 
studied  with  profit  as  a  warning  against  any  attempt 
to  compromise  with  wrong  in  order  that  good  may 
come.  Even  at  this  late  day,  it  is  impossible  to  read 
this  speech  without  a  feeling  of  deep  regret  that  as 
great  a  man  as  Webster  lacked  the  moral  consistency 
to  keep  himself  true  to  the  principles  which  he  had 
held  and  courageously  defended  on  so  many  previous 
occasions.  Whatever  his  motive  may  have  been,  he 
failed  in  this  speech  to  remain  loyal  to  the  moral  con- 
victions on  the  question  of  slavery,  which  had  charac- 
terized all  his  words  and  acts,  up  to  that  time.  And 
he  paid  dearly  for  the  failure.  "If  the  Seventh  of 
March  Speech  was  right,"  declares  Henry  Cabot  Lodge 
in  his  biography  of  Webster,  "then  all  that  had  gone 
before  was  false  and  wrong.    In  that  speech  he  broke 


58  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

from  his  past,  from  his  own  principles  and  from  the 
principles  of  New  England,  and  closed  his  splendid 
public  career  with  a  terrible  mistake." 

In  the  speeches  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  another  man 
of  rare  ability  and  remarkable  power,  will  be  found 
many  evidences  of  his  entire  lack  of  any  positive  con- 
victions on  the  great  moral  question  of  slavery.  In 
fact  he  freely  admitted  and  frequently  declared  in  his 
speeches  that  he  did  not  care  whether  slavery  was 
voted  up  or  down.  In  the  senatorial  contest  of  1858, 
Douglas,  without  any  convictions  on  this  moral  issue, 
was  successful  and  went  to  the  United  States  Senate. 
Lincoln,  with  positive  convictions  and  the  courage  to 
express  them,  was  unsuccessful,  but  went  later  to  the 
Presidency  and  "finally  to  immortality." 

The  loyalty  of  both  Webster  and  Douglas  to  the 
Union  has  never  been  and  never  can  be  questioned. 
The  failure  of  both  was  a  moral  failure,  due  either  to 
a  lack  of  conviction  on  the  great  moral  question  of 
their  day,  or  a  lack  of  loyalty  to  such  conviction.  Web- 
ster died  nearly  a  decade  before  the  opening  of  the 
Civil  War  which  ended  with  the  abolition  of  slavery 
and  the  preservation  of  the  Union  that  he  had  al- 
ways defended  with  all  the  power  of  his  great  elo- 
quence. Douglas  lived  to  see  the  Union  attacked  by  the 
friends  of  slavery,  which  he  had  failed  to  recognize  as 
a  moral  issue.  But  in  justice  to  his  memory  it  must 
not  be  forgotten  that  when  the  crisis  came,  in  the  brief 
remnant  of  life  which  remained  to  him,  he  was  loyal 
to  the  Union  and  to  President  Lincoln,  to  whom  he 
pledged  his  support  to  sustain  him  "in  the  exercise  of 


LINCOLN'S  LOYALTY  59 

all  his  constitutional  functions  to  preserve  the  Union, 
and  maintain  the  Government,  and  defend  the  Federal 
capital." 

On  the  monument  erected  to  his  memory  in  the 
grounds  of  the  State  House,  Springfield,  Illinois,  is  re- 
corded his  dying  message  to  his  children : 

"Tell  them  to  obey  the  laws  and  support  the  Consti- 
tution of  the  United  States." 

No  better  example  of  loyalty  characterized  by 
moral  consistency  based  upon  and  guided  by  profound 
moral  conviction  can  be  found  than  that  furnished  by 
the  life  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  In  thought,  word,  and 
deed  he  was  guided  and  controlled  in  all  his  actions  in 
relation  to  slavery  by  two  fundamental  principles : 

1.  Uncompromising  opposition  to  the  extension  of 
slavery  because  it  was  wrong. 

2.  Unswerving  loyalty  to  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States  as  the  Fundamental  Law,  together  with 
implicit  obedience  to  all  laws  enacted  in  accordance 
with  its  provisions. 

Lincoln  always  believed  that  slavery  was  wrong  in 
both  theory  and  practice.  In  his  remarkable  letter  to 
Mr.  A.  G.  Hodges  of  Frankfort,  Kentucky,  dated  April 
4,  1864,  he  says : 

"I  am  naturally  antislavery.  If  slavery  is  not  wrong, 
nothing  is  wrong.  I  cannot  remember  when  I  did  not 
so  think  and  feel.". 

Verification  of  this  conviction,  expressed  within  a 
year  of  the  close  of  Lincoln's  life,  is  found  in  all  his 
actions  relating  to  slavery.  Tradition,  at  least,  as- 
serts that,  5vhen  a  young  man  on  his  famous  voyage 


60  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

to  New  Orleans,  he  was  so  stirred  with  the  revolting 
scenes  which  he  witnessed  in  the  slave  market  of  that 
city  that  he  declared : 

"If  I  ever  have  a  chance  at  that  thing,  Til  hit  it 
hard." 

Under  the  historic  Ordinance  of  1787  freedom  from 
slavery  was  guaranteed  to  all  the  great  Northwest 
Territory.  Illinois,  one  of  the  states  carved  from  this 
Territory,  was  admitted  into  the  Union  in  1818.  In 
1822-23,  an  attempt  was  made  to  change  it  into  a 
slave  state.  This  attempt  was  defeated  largely  through 
the  influence  of  Governor  Coles,  a  Virginian  by  birth, 
but  a  strong  antislavery  man,  who  used  all  his  in- 
fluence and  spent  all  his  four  years'  salary  in  the  in- 
terest of  freedom.  The  bitterness  of  the  pro-slavery 
sentiment  in  Illinois,  as  late  as  1837,  is  shown  in  the 
murder  of  Elijah  P.  Lovejoy,  who  published  an  anti- 
slavery  paper  in  Alton. 

And  yet,  notwithstanding  this  condition  of  affairs, 
Lincoln's  loyalty  to  his  conviction  that  slavery  was 
wrong  led  him  to  record  that  conviction  in  the  historic 
"Lincoln-Stone  Protest,"  which  was  formally  entered 
upon  the  journal  of  the  legislature  of  which  he  was  a 
member,  nearly  a  year  before  the  Alton  tragedy.  This 
"Protest"  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  resolutions 
upon  the  subject  of  domestic  slavery  had  passed  both 
branches  of  the  General  Assembly  and  declared  the  be- 
lief "that  the  institution  of  slavery  is  founded  on  both 
injustice  and  bad  policy."  Lincoln  was  one  of  only  six 
members  of  the  legislature  to  vote  in  the  negative  on 
the  resolutions  against  which  the  "Protest"  was  re- 


LINCOLN'S  LOYALTY  61 

corded,  while  the  "Protest"  itself  was  endorsed  by  only 
his  colleague,  Dan  Stone,  and  himself.  Although  in 
a  hopeless,  and  no  doubt  a  very  unpopular  minority, 
Lincoln  was  loyal  to  his  conviction  and  left  no  doubt 
as  to  his  exact  position  and  feeling  on  the  question  of 
slavery.  It  took  rare  moral  courage  for  a  young  man 
only  twenty-eight  years  of  age  and  just  entering  upon 
a  political  career  to  stand  almost  alone  for  what  he  be- 
lieved was  right.  But  Lincoln  did  not  hesitate.  Loy- 
alty to  both  his  conscience  and  his  reason  would  not 
permit  him  to  keep  silent. 

When  in  1820  the  Missouri  Compromise  became  ef- 
fective, it  was  vainly  hoped  that  the  vexatious  slavery 
question  was  settled.  As  late  as  1849  and  1850,  this 
Compromise  was  strongly  defended  by  Senator  Doug- 
las, who  described  it  as  having  had  "an  origin  akin  to 
the  Constitution"  and  as  having  become  "canonized  in 
the  hearts  of  the  American  people  as  a  sacred  thing 
which  no  ruthless  hand  would  ever  be  reckless  enough 
to  disturb."  In  view  of  this  fact,  it  is  not  difficult  to 
realize  the  surprise  and  indignation  which  swept  over 
the  North,  when  in  1854,  the  Missouri  Compromise 
was  repealed  by  the  passage  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska 
Act,  largely  through  the  influence  of  Senator  Douglas. 

After  Lincoln  closed  his  one  term  in  Congress  in 
1849,  he  devoted  his  time  and  attention  to  the  practice 
of  law.  "In  1854,"  he  says,  in  his  Autobiography,  writ- 
ten in  the  third  person,  "this  profession  had  almost 
superseded  the  thought  of  politics  in  his  mind,  when 
the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise  aroused  him 
as  never  before." 


62  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

The  contest  was  on  between  Douglas,  who  "didn't 
care  whether  slavery  was  voted  up  or  down,"  and  Lin- 
coln, who  believed  "that  the  institution  of  slavery  is 
founded  on  both  injustice  and  bad  policy/'  This  con- 
test was  to  continue  through  the  most  remarkable 
campaign  in  American  history  and  to  center  about  the 
historic  Lincoln-Douglas  Debates  which  stirred  the 
whole  nation  to  its  depths. 

Preliminary  to  the  regular  debates,  the  two  contest- 
ants met  on  different  occasions  and  discussed  the  great 
issue  of  the  day.  One  of  the  most  noted  of  these  meet- 
ings was  in  Peoria,  Illinois,  on  October  16,  1854.  In 
the  afternoon  of  that  day  Douglas  addressed  a  large 
audience  and  announced  that  Lincoln,  who  was  present, 
would  follow  him  and  that  he,  in  turn,  would  follow 
Lincoln.  It  was  after  five  o'clock  when  Douglas  con- 
cluded his  address  of  three  hours,  and  Lincoln  was 
called  to  the  platform.  Since  he  expected  to  occupy 
three  hours  in  answering  Douglas,  who  had  announced 
that  he  would  take  an  hour  to  reply  to  Lincoln,  it  is 
not  surprising  that  he  suggested  an  adjournment  till 
after  supper  and  that  the  audience  accepted  the  sug- 
gestion and  reassembled  at  seven  o'clock.  Lincoln's 
frankness  is  well  illustrated  in  his  statement  to  the 
audience  to  the  effect  that  he  had  no  doubt  that  they 
were  surprised  that  he  had  given  to  one  of  such  high 
reputation  and  known  ability  as  Judge  Douglas  such 
an  advantage  over  himself;  but  that  in  consenting 
to  it,  he  was  not  wholly  unselfish,  since  in  so  doing  he 
suspected  that  if  it  were  understood  that  the  Judge's 
speech  was  finished,  those  who  favored  him  would 


LINCOLN'S  LOYALTY  63 

leave,  and  not  hear  the  reply,  adding,  with  a  touch  of 
his  rare  humor,  "But  by  giving  him  the  close  I  felt 
confident  you  would  stay  for  the  fun  of  hearing  him 
skin  me." 

With  his  accurate  knowledge  of  the  history  of  the 
Missouri  Compromise  and  the  steps  leading  to  its  re- 
peal, and  with  his  unusual  power  of  critical  analysis, 
Lincoln  proceeded  to  answer  Douglas  and  to  picture  the 
ominous  effects  of  the  repeal  of  that  Compromise. 
With  his  soul  on  fire  with  indignation  at  the  wrong 
and  injustice  of  slavery,  and  the  admitted  indifference 
of  Douglas  to  it,  he  expressed  his  own  opinions  and 
feelings  in  the  following,  quoted  from  his  reply: 

"This  declared  indifference,  but,  as  I  must  think, 
covert  real  zeal  for  the  spread  of  slavery,  I  cannot  but 
hate.  I  hate  it  because  of  the  monstrous  injustice  of 
slavery  itself.  I  hate  it  because  it  deprives  our  repub- 
lican example  of  its  just  influence  in  the  world;  enables 
the  enemies  of  free  institutions  with  plausibility  to 
taunt  us  as  hypocrites ;  causes  the  real  friends  of  free- 
dom to  doubt  our  sincerity;  and  especially  because  it 
forces  so  many  good  men  among  ourselves  into  an 
open  war  with  the  very  fundamental  principles  of 
civil  liberty,  criticizing  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence, and  insisting  that  there  is  no  right  principle 
of  action  but  self-interest. 

"Slavery  is  founded  in  the  selfishness  of  man's  na- 
ture— opposition  to  it  in  his  love  of  justice.  These 
principles  are  in  eternal  antagonism,  and  when 
brought  into  collision  so  fiercely  as  slavery  extension 
brings  them,  shocks  and  throes  and  convulsions  must 
ceaselessly  follow.  Repeal  the  Missouri  Compromise, 
repeal  all  compromises,  repeal  the  Declaration  of  In- 


64  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

dependence,  repeal  all  past  history,  you  still  cannot 
repeal  human  nature.  It  still  will  be  the  abundance 
of  man's  heart  that  slavery  extension  is  wrong,  and 
out  of  the  abundance  of  his  heart  his  mouth  will  con- 
tinue to  speak. 

"Little  by  little,  but  steadily  as  man's  march  to  the 
grave,  we  have  been  giving  up  the  old  for  the  new 
faith.  Nearly  eighty  years  ago  we  began  by  declar- 
ing that  all  men  are  created  equal ;  but  now  from  that 
beginning  we  have  run  down  to  the  other  declaration, 
that  for  some  men  to  enslave  others  is  a  'sacred  right 
of  self-government/  These  principles  cannot  stand 
together.  They  are  as  opposite  as  God  and  Mammon ; 
and  whoever  holds  to  the  one  must  despise  the  other." 

At  Bloomington,  Illinois,  on  May  29,  1856,  Lincoln 
made  a  speech  which  aroused  such  interest  and  en- 
thusiasm that  even  the  newspaper  reporters  sat  spell- 
bound and  failed  to  take  notes.  However,  notes  of  this 
speech,  commonly  referred  to  as  "The  Lost  Speech," 
were  taken  in  longhand  by  Henry  C.  Whitney,  one  of 
the  biographers  of  Lincoln,  who,  in  writing  out  his 
notes  for  publication,  claimed  to  have  followed  the  ar- 
gument and  in  many  instances  to  have  reproduced  the 
exact  statements  of  Lincoln. 

From  his  report  of  this  speech  the  following  quota- 
tion is  taken : 

"Slavery  is  a  violation  of  the  eternal  right.     We 

have  temporized  with  it  from  the  necessities  of  our 

condition;  but  as  sure  as  God  reigns  and  school  chil- 

,  dren  read,  that  black  foul  lie  can  never  be  consecrated 

into  God's  hallowed  truth !" 

"We  want  and  must  have,"  said  Lincoln  in  Decem- 
ber, 1859,  when  making  a  tour  of  the  Territory  of 


LINCOLN'S  LOYALTY  65 

Kansas,  "a  national  policy  as  to  slavery  which  deals 
with  it  as  being  wrong.  Whoever  would  prevent  slav- 
ery becoming  national  and  perpetual  yields  all  when 
he  yields  to  a  policy  which  treats  it  as  being  right,  or 
as  a  matter  of  indifference." 

In  his  historic  Cooper  Institute  Speech,  February 
27,  1860,  Lincoln  said : 

"If  slavery  is  right,  all  words,  acts,  laws,  and  con- 
stitutions against  it  are  themselves  wrong,  and  should 
be  silenced  and  swept  away.  If  it  is  right,  we  cannot 
justly  object  to  its  nationality — its  universality!  If  it 
is  wrong,  they  (the  Southern  States)  cannot  justly 
insist  upon  its  extension — its  enlargement.  All  they 
ask  we  could  readily  grant,  if  we  thought  slavery 
right;  all  we  ask  they  could  as  readily  grant,  if  they 
thought  it  wrong.  Their  thinking  it  right,  and 
our  thinking  it  wrong,  is  the  precise  fact  upon  which 
depends  the  whole  controversy. 

*         *         *         * 

"Let  us  be  diverted  by  none  of  those  sophistical 
contrivances  wherewith  we  are  so  industriously  plied 
and  belabored — contrivances  such  as  groping  for 
some  middle  ground  between  the  right  and  the  wrong ; 
vain  as  the  search  for  a  man  who  should  be  neither  a 
living  man  nor  a  dead  man;  such  as  a  policy  of  'don't 
care'  on  a  question  about  which  all  true  men  do  care ; 
such  as  Union  appeals  beseeching  true  Union  men  to 
yield  to  Disunionists,  reversing  the  divine  rule,  and 
calling,  not  the  sinners,  but  the  righteous  to  repent- 
ance; such  as  invocations  to  Washington,  imploring 
men  to  unsay  what  Washington  said  and  undo  what 
Washington  did. 

"Neither  let  us  be  slandered  from  our  duty  by  false 
accusations  against  us,  nor  frightened  from  it  by  men- 


66  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

aces  of  destruction  to  the  government,  nor  of  dun- 
geons to  ourselves.  Let  us  have  faith  that  right 
makes  might ;  and  in  that  faith  let  us  to  the  end  dare 
to  do  our  duty  as  we  understand  it." 

The  foregoing  expressions  regarding  slavery  fur- 
nish conclusive  evidence  that  Lincoln  never  wavered 
in  his  loyalty  to  the  first  principle,  which  guided  and 
controlled  all  his  actions,  that  of  uncompromising  op- 
position to  the  extension  of  slavery  because  it  was 
;wrong. 

In  order  that  intelligent  and  just  consideration  may 
be  given  to  Lincoln's  attitude  toward  slavery  as  it  ex- 
isted under  the  Constitution  and  the  laws  enacted  in 
accordance  with  its  provisions,  it  is  necessary  to  re- 
view the  salient  facts  relating  to  its  history;  also  to 
keep  in  mind  that  the  second  fundamental  principle 
which  controlled  his  actions,  was  unswerving  loyalty 
to  the  Constitution  and  implicit  obedience  to  law. 

Slavery  began  in  the  American  colonies  with  the  im- 
portation of  slaves  into  Virginia  in  1619,  and  was 
gradually  introduced  into  the  other  colonies.  Being 
unprofitable  in  the  northern  states  and  not  in  harmony 
with  the  sentiments  of  a  great  majority  of  the  people, 
it  was  either  abolished  directly  or  else  indirectly,  by 
gradual  emancipation.  Being  profitable  in  the  south- 
ern states,  especially  after  the  invention  of  the  cotton 
gin  in  1793,  it  soon  came  to  be  considered  a  necessity 
to  the  industrial  life  of  that  section. 

When  the  government  of  the  United  States  was  in- 
stituted in  1789  the  slave  trade  was  quite  general 
throughout  the  world.    It  was  favored  by  the  British 


LINCOLN'S  LOYALTY  67 

government  during  the  eighteenth  century.  The  Con- 
stitution of  the  United  States,  adopted  in  1787,  forbade 
Congress  to  prohibit  it  until  1808,  and  gave  to  the 
several  states  representation  in  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives for  three-fifths  of  their  slaves.  Provision 
was  made  for  the  arrest  and  return  of  fugitive  slaves, 
by  law  of  the  colonies,  in  the  Ordinance  of  1787,  and 
in  the  Constitution, 

In  1793,  Congress  passed  the  first  Fugitive  Slave 
Act,  which  provided  that  upon  proof  of  ownership 
furnished  by  the  owner  before  a  magistrate  of  the 
locality  where  the  slave  was  found,  the  magistrate 
should  order  the  slave  delivered  up  to  the  owner  with- 
out a  trial  by  jury.  Hindering  the  arrest  or  harboring 
a  runaway  slave  was  punishable  by  a  fine  of  five  hun- 
dred dollars.  Under  this  act  the  federal  government 
assumed  the  responsibility  for  the  pursuit  and  return 
of  fugitive  slaves.  In  the  Compromise  of  1850,  the 
new  Fugitive  Slave  Act  provided  for  the  trial  of  cases 
in  a  "summary  manner"  by  United  States  Commis- 
sioners, and  for  a  fine  of  one  thousand  dollars  for  the 
failure  of  a  United  States  marshal  to  execute  a  war- 
rant for  the  arrest  or  removal  of  a  fugitive  slave.  By 
this  act,  citizens  were  required  to  assist  in  the  execu- 
tion of  the  law,  when  called  upon  to  do  so,  under  pen- 
alty of  a  heavy  fine  and  civil  damages  to  the  owner 
of  the  slave,  together  with  imprisonment  for  six 
months  for  any  assistance  given  to  the  fugitive  or  any 
attempt  to  rescue  him.  The  only  evidence  of  owner- 
ship required  was  the  affidavit  of  the  person  who 
claimed  the  slave. 


68  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

In  1854,  the  Missouri  Compromise  was  practically- 
repealed  by  the  passage  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  Bill, 
and  in  1857  the  whole  nation  was  stirred  to  its  depths 
by  the  Dred-Scott  Decision,  which  in  substance  de- 
clared that  in  the  Declaration  of  Independence  and  in 
the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  negroes  were 
included  or  referred  to  only  as  property  and  could  not 
become  citizens  of  the  United  States  nor  sue  in  the 
Federal  courts.  And  further,  that  under  the  Consti- 
tution neither  Congress  nor  the  legislature  of  a  ter- 
ritory had  the  power  to  prohibit  slavery  in  any  terri- 
tory of  the  United  States.  With  these  facts  in  mind 
it  is  interesting  to  study  the  evidences  of  Lincoln's 
loyalty  to  the  Constitution  and  of  his  obedience  to  all 
constitutionally  enacted  laws  relating  to  slavery. 

In  the  "Lincoln-Stone  Protest/'  previously  referred 
to,  he  was  loyal  not  only  to  his  moral  conviction  that 
slavery  was  wrong  as  indicated  by  the  declaration  of 
his  belief  "that  the  institution  of  slavery  is  founded 
upon  both  injustice  and  bad  policy,"  but  he  was  also 
equally  loyal  to  the  Constitution  as  shown  by  the  dec- 
laration of  his  belief  "that  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States  has  no  power  under  the  Constitution  to  inter- 
fere with  the  institution  of  slavery  in  the  different 
states." 

A  little  more  than  a  decade  later,  when  a  member  of 
Congress,  Lincoln  introduced  a  carefully  framed  bill 
providing  for  the  abolishment  of  slavery  in  the  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia.  This  bill  was  based  upon  the  idea 
which,  later  on  when  he  was  President,  he  frequently 
urged  Congress  to  adopt  and  the  border  slave  states  to 


LINCOLN'S  LOYALTY  69 

accept,  that  "the  just  and  generous  mode  of  getting  rid 
of  the  barbarous  institution  of  slavery  was  by  a  system 
of  compensated  emancipation,  giving  freedom  to  the 
slave  and  a  money  indemnity  to  the  owner."  The  pro- 
visions of  this  bill,  which  never  came  to  a  vote,  breathe 
the  same  spirit  of  loyalty  to  his  convictions  with  re- 
spect to  both  slavery  and  the  Constitution. 

Many  of  the  extremely  radical  opponents  of  slavery 
did  not  hesitate  to  denounce  the  Dred-Scott  Decision 
in  unmeasured  terms  and  to  suggest  such  radical  ac- 
tion as  accorded  with  their  radical  views,  regardless 
of  the  Constitution  and  the  laws.  Although  Lincoln's 
keen  sense  of  right  and  justice  was  outraged  by  this 
Decision,  his  loyalty  to  the  Constitution  and  his  rever- 
ence for  law  and  order  kept  him  from  saying  any- 
thing of  a  harsh  or  revolutionary  nature.  On  June  26, 
1857,  he  replied  to  a  speech  made  by  Senator  Douglas, 
who  had  defended  the  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
notwithstanding  the  fact  that  it  completely  contra- 
dicted his  theory  of  popular  sovereignty  that  the  peo- 
ple of  a  territory  could  decide  the  slavery  question 
for  themselves.     In  this  speech,  Lincoln  said: 

"We  believe  as  much  as  Judge  Douglas  (perhaps 
more)  in  obedience  to,  and  respect  for,  the  judicial 
department  of  government.  We  think  its  decisions 
on  constitutional  questions,  when  fully  settled,  should 
control,  not  only  the  particular  cases  decided,  but  the 
general  policy  of  the  country,  subject  to  be  disturbed 
only  by  amendments  of  the  Constitution  as  provided 
in  that  instrument  itself.  More  than  this  would  be 
revolution.  But  we  think  the  Dred-Scott  Decision  is 
erroneous.    We  know  the  court  that  made  it  has  often 


70  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN, 

overruled  its  own  decisions,  and  we  shall  do  what  we 
can  to  have  it  overrule  this.  We  offer  no  resistance 
to  it" 

Lincoln's  loyalty  to  the  Constitution  must  have  been 
severely  tested  by  the  provision  relating  to  the  return 
of  fugitive  slaves — a  provision  which  undoubtedly 
grieved  his  generous  soul,  so  filled  with  a  hatred  of  the 
injustice  of  slavery.  And  yet  he  did  not  hesitate  in  his 
First  Inaugural  Address  to  quote  this  provision  and  to 
express  his  conviction  that  "All  members  of  Congress 
swear  their  support  to  the  whole  Constitution — to  this 
provision  as  much  as  to  any  other."  The  assurance 
of  the  sincerity  of  his  own  purpose  to  support  the  whole 
Constitution  is  indicated  in  his  declaration: 

"I  take  the  official  oath  to-day  with  no  mental  reser- 
vations, and  with  no  purpose  to  construe  the  Constitu- 
tion or  laws  by  any  hypercritical  rules." 

That  this  oath  was,  to  him,  a  most  sacred  one  is  re- 
vealed in  his  fervid  appeal  to  his  "dissatisfied  fellow- 
countrymen"  : 

"You  have  no  oath  registered  in  heaven  to  destroy 
the  government,  while  I  shall  have  the  most  solemn  one 
to  'preserve,  protect,  and  defend  it/  " 

Because  of  his  unswerving  loyalty  to  the  Constitu- 
tion, he  would  not  perform  any  act  in  violation  of  its 
provisions,  even  to  interfere  with  slavery.  On  this 
account  he  was  severely  criticised  by  men  who  should 
have  defended  him  in  his  conscientious  performance 
of  duty.  One  of  the  severest  of  these  unreasoning 
critics  was  Horace  Greeley,  the  great  editor  of  the 
New  York  Tribune,  which  wielded  a  mighty  influence 


Keystone  View  Co. 

LINCOLN  AT  THE  FRONT 

This    picture    shows    Lincoln    visiting    the    headquarters    of    General 

McClellan   during  the  last  years  of  the   Civil   War. 


/Zfiyt-viii    P**A 


%yj^4*&^m* 


Keystone  View  Co. 

PORTRAIT  OF  LINCOLN 

This  autographed  picture  was  presented  to  Mr.  Thomas  F.  Rochford, 

of   Brooklyn,  by   Mr.   Hagen,  a  classmate  of  Lincoln. 


LINCOLN'S  LOYALTY  73 

on  northern  public  sentiment.  Lincoln's  historic  let- 
ter £o  Greeley,  August  22,  1862,  will  always  stand  as 
a  fine  example  of  courtesy  and  generosity  in  replying 
to  unwarranted  and  unkindly  criticism  as  well  as  of 
candor  in  outlining  the  policy  which  governed  in  the 
prosecution  of  the  war.  As  an  example  of  convincing 
reasoning  and  fine  diction,  it  has  never  been  surpassed : 

"I  have  just  read  yours  of  the  19th  (August,  1862), 
addressed  to  me  through  the  New  York  Tribune.  If 
there  be  in  it  any  statements  or  assumptions  of  fact 
which  I  may  know  to  be  erroneous,  I  do  not,  now  and 
here,  controvert  them.  If  there  be  in  it  any  inferences 
which  I  may  believe  to  be  falsely  drawn,  I  do  not,  now 
and  here,  argue  against  them.  If  there  be  perceptible 
in  it  an  impatient  and  dictatorial  tone,  I  waive  it  in 
deference  to  an  old  friend  whose  heart  I  have  always 
supposed  to  be  right. 

"As  to  the  policy  I  'seem  to  be  pursuing/  as  you 
say,  I  have  not  meant  to  leave  any  one  in  doubt. 

"I  would  save  the  Union.  I  would  save  it  the  short- 
est way  under  the  Constitution.  The  sooner  the  na- 
tional authority  can  be  restored,  the  nearer  the  Union 
will  be  'the  Union  as  it  was.'  If  there  be  those  who 
would  not  save  the  Union  unless  they  could  at  the 
same  time  save  slavery,  I  do  not  agree  with  them.  If 
there  be  those  who  would  not  save  the  Union  unless 
they  could  at  the  same  time  destroy  slavery,  I  do  not 
agree  with  them.  My  paramount  object  in  this  strug- 
gle is  to  save  the  Union,  and  is  not  either  to  save  or 
to  destroy  slavery.  If  I  could  save  the  Union  without 
freeing  any  slave,  I  would  do  it ;  and  if  I  could  save  it 
by  freeing  all  the  slaves,  I  would  do  it;  and  if  I  could 
save  it  by  freeing  some  and  leaving  others  alone,  I 
would  also  do  that.    What  I  do  about  slavery  and  the 


74  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

colored  race,  I  do  because  I  believe  it  helps  to  save 
the  Union ;  and  what  I  forbear,  I  forbear  because  I  do 
not  believe  it  would  help  to  save  the  Union.  I  shall 
do  less  whenever  I  shall  believe  what  I  am  doing 
hurts  the  cause,  and  I  shall  do  more  whenever  I  shall 
believe  doing  more  will  help  the  cause.  I  shall  try  to 
correct  errors  when  shown  to  be  errors,  and  I  shall 
adopt  new  views  so  fast  as  they  shall  appear  to  be 
true  views. 

"I  have  here  stated  my  purpose  according  to  my 
view  of  official  duty;  and  I  intend  no  modification  of 
my  oft-expressed  personal  wish  that  all  men  every- 
where could  be  free." 

As  the  war  progressed,  it  became  more  and  more 
evident  that  the  destruction  of  slavery  would  come 
with  the  saving  of  the  Union  and  that  its  abolition 
would  help  to  save  the  Union.  The  processes  through 
which  the  mind  of  Lincoln  passed  in  reaching  the  con- 
clusion that  freeing  the  slaves  would  help  to  restore  the 
national  authority  are  shown  in  his  letter  of  April  4, 
1864,  to  Mr.  A.  G.  Hodges  of  Frankfort,  Kentucky. 
This  letter  presents  in  the  straightforward,  logical,  and 
sincere  manner,  so  characteristic  of  all  Lincoln's  work 
and  acts,  the  different  steps  taken  in  dealing  with 
slavery,  every  one  of  which  was  in  strict  accord  with 
his  belief  that  slavery  was  wrong  and  in  loyal  obe- 
dience to  the  solemn  oath  which  he  had  taken  "to  pre- 
serve, protect,  and  defend  the  Union." 

This  letter  is  a  masterpiece  of  English  and  fur- 
nishes a  striking  illustration  of  Lincoln's  loyalty  to  the 
two  principles  wThich  controlled  his  actions  toward 
slavery : 


LINCOLN'S  LOYALTY  75 

"You  ask  me  to  put  in  writing  the  substance  of 
what  I  verbally  said  the  other  day  in  your  presence, 
to  Governor  Bramlette  and  Senator  Dixon.  It  was 
about  as  follows: 

"1  am  naturally  antislavery.  If  slavery  is  not 
wrong,  nothing  is  wrong.  I  cannot  remember  when  I 
did  not  so  think  and  feel,  and  yet  I  have  never  under- 
stood that  the  Presidency  conferred  upon  me  an  un- 
restricted right  to  act  officially  upon  this  judgment 
and  feeling.  It  was  in  the  oath  I  took  that  I  would, 
to  the  best  of  my  ability,  preserve,  protect,  and  de- 
fend the  Constitution  of  the  United  States.  I  could 
not  take  the  office  without  taking  the  oath.  Nor  was 
it  my  view  that  I  might  take  an  oath  to  get  power  and 
break  the  oath  in  using  the  power.  I  understand,  too, 
that  in  ordinary  civil  administration  this  oath  even 
forbade  me  to  practically  indulge  my  primary  ab- 
stract judgment  on  the  moral  question  of  slavery.  I 
had  publicly  declared  this  many  times,  and  in  many 
ways.  And  I  aver  that,  to  this  day,  I  have  done  no 
official  act  in  mere  deference  to  my  abstract  judg- 
ment and  feeling  on  slavery. 

"  'I  did  understand,  however,  that  my  oath  to  pre- 
serve the  Constitution  to  the  best  of  my  ability  im- 
posed upon  me  the  duty  of  preserving,  by  every  indis- 
pensable means,  that  government — that  nation,  of 
which  that  Constitution  was  the  organic  law.  Was  it 
possible  to  lose  the  nation  and  yet  preserve  the  Con- 
stitution? By  general  law,  life  and  limb  must  be  pro- 
tected, yet  often  a  limb  must  be  amputated  to  save  a 
life;  but  a  life  is  never  wisely  given  to  save  a  limb.  I 
felt  that  measures  otherwise  unconstitutional  might 
become  lawful  by  becoming  indispensable  to  the  pres- 
ervation of  the  Constitution  through  the  preservation 
of  the  nation.  Right  or  wrong,  I  assumed  this  ground, 
and  now  avow  it.    I  could  not  feel  that,  to  the  best  of 


76  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

my  ability,  I  had  even  tried  to  preserve  the  Constitu- 
tion, if,  to  save  slavery  or  any  minor  matter,  I  should 
permit  the  wreck  of  government,  country  and  Consti- 
tution all  together.  When,  early  in  the  war,  General 
Fremont  attempted  military  emancipation,  I  forbade 
it,  because  I  did  not  then  think  it  an  indispensable 
necessity.  When,  a  little  later,  General  Cameron, 
then  Secretary  of  War,  suggested  the  arming  of  the 
blacks,  I  objected  because  I  did  not  yet  think  it  an  in- 
dispensable necessity.  When,  still  later,  General 
Hunter  attempted  military  emancipation,  I  again  for- 
bade it,  because  I  did  not  yet  think  the  indispensable 
necessity  had  come.  When  in  March  and  May  and 
July,  1862,  I  made  earnest  and  successive  appeals  to 
the  border  States  to  favor  compensated  emancipation, 
I  believed  the  indispensable  necessity  for  military 
emancipation  and  arming  the  blacks  would  come  un- 
less averted  by  that  measure.  They  declined  the  prop- 
osition, and  I  was,  in  my  best  judgment,  driven  to  the 
alternative  of  either  surrendering  the  Union,  and 
with  it  the  Constitution,  or  of  laying  strong  hand  up- 
on the  colored  element.  I  chose  the  latter.  In  choos- 
ing it,  I  hoped  for  greater  gain  than  loss ;  but  of  this, 
I  was  not  entirely  confident.  More  than  a  year  of 
trial  now  shows  no  loss  by  it  in  our  foreign  relations, 
none  in  our  home  popular  sentiment,  none  in  our 
white  military  force — no  loss  by  it  anyhow  or  any- 
where. On  the  contrary  it  shows  a  gain  of  quite  a 
hundred  and  thirty  thousand  soldiers,  seamen,  and 
laborers.  These  are  palpable  facts,  about  which,  as 
facts,  there  can  be  no  caviling.  We  have  the  men; 
and  we  could  not  have  had  them  without  the  measure. 
"  'And  now  let  any  Union  man  who  complains  of  the 
measure  test  himself  by  writing  down  in  one  line  that 
he  is  for  subduing  the  rebellion  by  force  of  arms ;  and 
in  the  next,  that  he  is  for  taking  these  hundred  and 


LINCOLN'S  LOYALTY  77 

thirty  thousand  men  from  the  Union  side,  and  placing 
them  where  they  would  be  but  for  the  measure  he 
condemns.  If  he  cannot  face  his  case  so  stated,  it  is 
only  because  he  cannot  face  the  truth. 

"I  add  a  word  which  was  not  in  the  verbal  conver- 
sation. In  telling  this  tale  I  attempt  no  compliment 
to  my  own  sagacity.  I  claim  not  to  have  controlled 
events,  but  confess  plainly  that  events  have  controlled 
me.  Now,  at  the  end  of  three  years'  struggle,  the  na- 
tion's condition  is  not  what  either  party,  or  any  man, 
devised  or  expected.  God  alone  can  claim  it.  Whith- 
er it  is  tending  seems  plain.  If  God  now  wills  the  re- 
moval of  a  great  wrong,  and  wills  also  that  we  of  the 
North,  as  well  as  you  of  the  South,  shall  pay  fairly 
for  our  complicity  in  that  wrong,  impartial  history 
will  find  therein  new  cause  to  attest  and  revere  the 
justice  and  goodness  of  God." 

The  history  of  the  final  act  in  the  great  tragedy  of 
African  slavery  in  the  United  States  can  be  briefly 
told.  Having  been  fully  convinced  that  the  "indispen- 
sable necessity"  for  military  emancipation  had  come 
and  that  "measures  otherwise  unconstitutional"  would 
be  "lawful"  because  "indispensable  to  the  preservation 
of  the  Constitution  through  the  preservation  of  the 
Union,"  Lincoln  on  July  22,  1862,  read  to  his  Cabinet 
the  first  draft  of  the  Emancipation  Proclamation. 
Criticisms  and  suggestions  were  offered  by  different 
members  of  the  Cabinet.  One  suggestion,  made  by 
Secretary  Seward,  that  it  be  postponed  until  it  could 
be  given  to  the  country  with  the  support  of  a  military 
victory,  appealed  to  Lincoln  and  he  put  the  Proclama- 
tion aside.  On  September  22,  1862,  he  informed  his 
Cabinet  that  he  thought  the  time  had  come ;  that  when 


78  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

the  rebel  army  was  at  Frederick,  he  had  determined, 
as  soon  as  it  had  been  driven  out  of  Maryland,  he  would 
issue  the  Proclamation;  that  he  had  said  nothing  to 
any  one,  but  had  promised  himself  and  his  Maker 
that  he  would  issue  it;  and  that  he  was  going  to  ful- 
fill that  promise.  This  he  proceeded  to  do  by  issuing 
the  preliminary  proclamation  of  September  22,  1862. 
On  December  30,  1862,  he  presented  to  his  Cabinet  the 
final  draft  of  the  Proclamation.  On  the  following  day, 
the  members  of  the  Cabinet  again  offered  their  criti- 
cisms and  suggestions.  Lincoln  then  carefully  re- 
wrote it,  and  on  January  1,  1863,  the  immortal  docu- 
ment was  published  to  the  world.  It  quoted  the  an- 
nouncement of  the  preliminary  proclamation  of  Sep- 
tember which  was  issued  "as  a  fit  and  necessary  war 
measure" ;  named  the  states  and  parts  of  states  which 
were  in  rebellion  against  the  United  States  on  that 
day;  ordered  and  declared  "that  all  persons  held  as 
slaves  within  said  designated  States  and  parts  of 
States  are,  and  henceforward  shall  be  free" ;  and  "that 
such  persons  of  suitable  condition  will  be  received  into 
the  armed  service  of  the  United  States."  In  the  closing 
paragraph,  the  form  of  which  was  submitted  by  Sec- 
retary Chase,  Lincoln  added  after  the  words,  "war- 
ranted by  the  Constitution,"  the  very  important  quali- 
fying phrase,  "upon  military  necessity" — additional 
evidence  of  his  loyalty  to  the  Constitution : 

"And  upon  this  act,  sincerely  believed  to  be  an  act  of 
justice,  warranted  by  the  Constitution  upon  military 
necessity,  I  invoke  the  considerate  judgment  of  man- 
kind and  the  gracious  favor  of  Almighty  God." 


LINCOLN'S  LOYALTY  79 

Later  on,  after  the  death  of  the  mighty  leader  who 
had  so  directed  affairs  that  slavery,  which  he  had  al- 
ways abhorred,  was  overthrown  and  the  Union  saved, 
the  Constitution  which  he  revered  and  to  which  he  was 
always  loyal,  was  so  amended  as  to  complete  emanci- 
pation. Lincoln's  loyalty,  founded  upon  convictions 
which  gave  to  all  his  acts  moral  consistency,  had  won 
the  victory  for  the  right,  and  slavery,  which  had  been 
sanctioned  by  the  Constitution  and  protected  by  va- 
rious laws  enacted  by  Congress,  was  abolished  forever 
from  the  United  States. 


CHAPTER  IV 
LINCOLN'S  HONESTY 

THAT  honesty  was  one  of  the  dominant  traits  of 
Lincoln's  character  is  the  universal  testimony  of 
all  who  knew  him.  It  was,  as  Justice  David  Davis  of 
the  United  States  Supreme  Court,  one  of  Lincoln's  life- 
long friends,  declared  in  his  beautiful  tribute  to  his 
memory,  "the  framework  of  his  mental  and  moral 
being."  His  honesty  constantly  manifested  itself  in 
all  that  he  said  and  did.  It  was  the  controlling  factor 
in  all  his  activities,  including  even  the  sports  in  which 
he  so  often  took  part. 

The  great  physical  strength  with  which  Lincoln 
was  endowed  made  him,  when  quite  a  young  man,  a 
recognized  leader  in  the  sports  which  characterized  the 
frontier  life  of  which  he  was  a  part.  He  loved  these 
sports,  both  for  their  own  sake  and  for  the  human 
companionship  which  they  fostered.  His  humility, 
which  was  such  a  prominent  factor  in  all  the  intel- 
lectual and  political  achievements  of  his  later  life, 
kept  him  from  making  any  idle  boasts  as  to  his  physi- 
cal powers.  He  had  neither  the  desire  nor  the  inclina- 
tion to  pick  a  quarrel,  which  he  always  abhorred ;  and 
he  rarely,  if  ever,  initiated  a  physical  contest. 

Not  all  of  his  friends,  however,  were  as  modest  as  he 


LINCOLN'S  HONESTY  81 

with  reference  to  his  abilities.  One  of  these  friends, 
Denton  Offutt,  for  whom  Lincoln  worked  in  various 
capacities,  was  loud  in  his  praise.  He  did  not  hesi- 
tate to  declare  that  "Abe  knew  more  than  any  man  in 
the  United  States"  and  that  "he  could  beat  any  man 
in  the  country,  running,  jumping  or  'wrestling/  "  The 
sweeping  statement  relative  to  the  knowledge  pos- 
sessed by  Abe  seems  to  have  aroused  little  or  no  ex- 
citement in  the  community.  Perhaps  the  extent  of  the 
territory  included  in  this  statement  was  somewhat 
bewildering  to  those  who  heard  it  and  who  had  no 
means  of  disproving  it.  But  to  be  told  that  Abe  could 
out-run,  out-jump,  and  "out-wrastle"  any  man  in  the 
country,  was  the  signal  for  action.  Such  an  announce- 
ment could  not  be  permitted  to  pass  unchallenged. 
The  challenge  promptly  came  from  the  ranks  of  the 
"Clary  Grove  Boys,"  a  crowd  of  young  ruffians  who 
visited  New  Salem  once  or  twice  a  week  for  the  pur- 
pose of  drinking,  fighting,  or  otherwise  disturbing  the 
peace.  They  considered  it  a  part  of  their  duty  to 
initiate  all  newcomers  by  means  of  such  ceremony  as 
they  chose  to  appoint.  For  a  time  they  let  Lincoln 
alone.  His  reputation  for  strength  was  such  as  to  lead 
them  to  be  cautious  in  molesting  him.  But  the  fulsome 
praise  of  Offutt  was  more  than  they  could  stand.  A 
dispute  resulted  and  finally  a  challenge  to  a  wrestling- 
match,  which  Lincoln  most  reluctantly  accepted,  be- 
cause he  was  opposed  to  what  he  called  all  such  "wool- 
ing  and  pulling." 

Jack  Armstrong,  the  leader  of  the  gang,  was  selected 
to  wrestle  with  Lincoln,  and  the  contest  was  on  in 


82  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

earnest.  Jack's  uniformly  successful  experience  up 
to  that  time  had  given  him  great  confidence  in  his 
physical  powers.  He  fully  expected  to  win  another 
victory,  but  he  was  doomed  to  disappointment.  He 
soon  realized  that  the  "tall  stranger"  was  more  than 
a  match  for  him.  His  friends  rushed  to  his  rescue  and 
by  every  means  known  to  their  kind  almost  succeeded 
in  throwing  Lincoln  to  the  ground.  With  character- 
istic self-control,  he  mustered  all  his  strength,  over- 
came the  unfair  attack  made  upon  him,  and  soon  won 
the  contest.  What  was  of  far  greater  importance,  he 
won  the  sincere  admiration  of  his  antagonist  and  all 
his  followers,  who  were  ever  afterward  his  loyal 
friends.  And  best  of  all,  he  had  won  by  the  use  of 
honest,  straightforward  methods,  unaided  by  any  of 
the  tricks  and  deceptions  which  too  often  characterized 
such  sports.  He  had  conclusively  proved  that  he  was 
honest  and  fair  even  in  a  wrestling-match  held  under 
the  most  trying  conditions. 

When  Governor  Reynolds  of  Illinois  issued  his  call 
for  volunteers  in  the  Black  Hawk  War,  Lincoln  was  one 
of  the  first  to  respond.  He  was  promptly  elected  cap- 
tain of  his  company  by  a  large  majority.  The  record 
shows  that  three-fourths  of  the  men  made  known 
their  choice  by  the  informal  procedure  of  walking  over 
to  where  Lincoln  stood,  while  the  remainder  "stood 
by"  a  man  by  the  name  of  Kilpatrick,  who  had  con- 
siderable prominence  in  the  community.  This  first 
official  trust  came  to  Lincoln  unsought  and  was  greatly 
appreciated  by  him.  Frequently  in  his  later  life  he  is 
reported   to   have    said   that   no   subsequent   success 


LINCOLN'S  HONESTY  83 

brought  him  such  unmixed  pleasure.  The  company 
contained  a  number  of  "genteel  ruffians"  of  the  type 
whose  confidence  Lincoln  had  won  by  his  action  in  the 
wrestling-match  with  Jack  Armstrong.  Something  of 
their  character  is  indicated  in  the  reported  statement 
of  Lincoln  that  in  reply  to  one  of  the  first  orders  he 
gave,  there  came  the  instant  response,  "Go  to  the  devil, 
sir!"  This  response  was  simply  a  manifestation  of 
their  fun-loving  spirit,  and  was  not  intended  to  show 
any  disrespect  to  their  captain,  to  whom  they  were  de- 
votedly loyal. 

One  evening  an  altercation  took  place  between  some 
of  the  members  of  Lincoln's  company  and  those  of  an- 
other company  from  an  adjoining  county  over  a  camp- 
ing ground  which  both  had  reached  about  the  same 
time.  To  avoid  what  threatened  to  be  a  most  disgrace- 
ful scuffle,  Captain  Lincoln  proposed  to  Captain  Moore 
of  the  other  company  that  they  settle  the  dispute  by 
means  of  a  friendly  physical  contest.  Since  Captain 
Moore  had  no  skill  in  wrestling,  the  proposal  was 
modified  to  allow  each  company  to  select  its  strongest 
representative.  As  a  result,  Lincoln  and  Lorenzo  Dow 
Thompson  were  put  forward  to  settle  the  dispute. 
Captain  Moore's  brother  was  selected  as  referee,  and 
the  fun  began  in  the  midst  of  the  wildest  enthusiasm 
on  the  part  of  the  men,  who,  it  is  said,  wagered  all 
their  property,  both  present  and  in  future  prospect, 
on  the  outcome. 

The  referee  announced  that  "two  falls  in  three  would 
decide  the  match."  In  the  first  round  Lincoln  was 
fairly  thrown.    In  the  second  both  men  went  down  to- 


84  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

gether.  Then  followed  a  dispute  which  threatened  a 
general  fight  of  a  serious  nature.  This  was  avoided 
by  a  declaration  from  Lincoln  advising  his  friends  to 
give  up  their  bets,  stating  as  his  reason, — "If  he  has 
not  thrown  me  fairly,  he  could."  This  honest  admis- 
sion ended  the  contest,  Captain  Moore  and  his  com- 
pany taking  possession  of  the  disputed  territory.  It 
was  a  rough  scene,  but  not  without  its  redeeming 
features,  the  most  striking  of  which  was  the  absolute 
fairness  and  honesty  of  Lincoln,  upon  whose  mind  the 
affair  made  a  lasting  impression.  There  is  abundant 
evidence  that,  even  when  he  was  President,  he  fre- 
quently discussed  the  experience  with  his  old-time 
friends.  Of  one  of  these  friends,  he  inquired,  "What- 
ever became  of  our  old  antagonist,  Thompson, — that 
big,  curly-headed  fellow  who  threw  me  at  Rock 
Island  ?"  To  the  expression  of  surprise  on  the  part  of 
this  friend  that  such  a  question  should  be  asked,  Lin- 
coln "playfully  remarked  that  if  he  knew  where  he 
was  living,  he  would  give  him  a  post  office  by  way  of 
showing  him  that  he  bore  him  no  ill  will." 

It  was  in  such  contests  as  these  that  Lincoln  demon- 
strated that  whether  winning  or  losing,  he  could  al- 
ways be  generous,  fair,  and  honest.  As  a  result,  he 
won  the  love  and  confidence  of  the  neighbors,  who  in- 
sisted that  he  should  preside  over  all  kinds  of  games 
and  sports.  When  he  became  famous,  it  was  the  de- 
light of  the  old  residents,  who  knew  him  in  these  early 
days,  to  recall  their  experiences  with  him.  One  of 
these  loved  to  rehearse  how  he  had  persuaded  Lincoln, 
much  against  his  own  will,  to  serve  as  a  judge  in  a 


LINCOLN'S  HONESTY  85 

horse  race  and  how  he  had  decided  with  such  fairness 
as  to  lead  the  other  judge  to  declare :  "Lincoln  is  the 
fairest  man  I  ever  had  to  deal  with.  If  Lincoln  is  in 
this  country  when  I  die,  I  want  him  to  be  my  adminis- 
trator, for  he  is  the  only  man  I  ever  met  with  that  was 
wholly  and  unselfishly  honest." 

Thus  it  was  that  in  the  midst  of  that  pioneer  life — 
crude  in  many  respects — in  which  his  young  man- 
hood was  thrown,  Lincoln  laid  the  foundation  of  his 
future  greatness.  The  corner  stone  of  that  foundation 
was  rugged,  uncompromising  honesty.  It  is  not  sur- 
prising, therefore,  that  early  in  his  life,  the  friends 
who  knew  him  best  and  loved  him  most  should  give 
expression  to  their  abiding  confidence  in  his  integrity 
by  calling  him  "Honest  Abe." 

In  all  his  financial  dealings  Lincoln  was  so  scrupu- 
lously honest  as  to  be  considered  eccentric  by  some. 
.When  serving  as  a  clerk  in  Offutt's  store,  he  sold  a  small 
bill  of  goods  to  a  woman,  who  paid  cash  for  them. 
After  she  had  gone,  he  discovered  that  he  had  over- 
charged her  six  and  a  quarter  cents.  As  soon  as  the 
store  was  closed  in  the  evening,  he  walked  several 
miles  into  the  country  to  return  the  amount  due. 

Another  time,  just  as  the  store  was  about  to  be 
closed,  he  sold  some  tea  to  a  belated  customer.  On 
opening  the  store  early  the  next  morning,  he  noticed 
that  he  had  used  a  smaller  weight  than  he  had  in- 
tended. Before  eating  his  breakfast,  he  proceeded  to 
correct  the  mistake  by  taking  the  balance  of  the  order 
to  the  customer,  who  lived  a  long  distance  from  the 
store. 


86  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

For  three  years,  Lincoln  served  as  postmaster  at 
New  Salem.  The  place  was  very  small  and  the  mail 
so  light  that  he  is  said  to  have  carried  it  in  his  hat  at 
times  as  he  walked  about  distributing  it  to  the  people 
in  the  community.  Finally  the  population  decreased 
to  such  an  extent  that  the  office  was  discontinued.  No 
chance  to  make  final  settlement  with  the  Post  Office 
Department  came  until  several  years  later  when  an 
agent  called  on  Lincoln,  after  he  had  moved  to  Spring- 
field, and  presented  a  claim  for  the  balance  due.  This 
claim  was  immediately  paid  by  Lincoln  in  the  coin 
which  had  been  taken  in  when  he  was  postmaster,  with 
the  remark  that  he  never  used  any  money  but  his  own. 
He  never  deviated  from  this  rule.  Even  after  he  had 
acquired  an  extensive  law  practice,  as  soon  as  a  fee  was 
paid  for  service  rendered  by  the  law  firm  of  which  he 
was  a  member,  he  insisted  upon  an  immediate  division. 
If  both  partners  were  present,  each  received  his  share ; 
if  either  was  absent,  then  his  share  was  wrapped  in  a 
piece  of  paper  and  laid  aside  for  him  with  a  proper 
notation  fully  explaining  what  it  was  for. 

Because  of  his  self-respect  and  keen  sense  of  honor, 
he  naturally  resented  any  intimation  that  he  was  not 
strictly  honest  in  all  his  dealings.  This  is  evident  in 
the  following  interesting  letter  written  to  George 
Spears : 

"At  your  request,  I  send  you  a  receipt  for  the  post- 
age on  your  paper.  I  am  somewhat  surprised  at  your 
request.  I  will,  however,  comply  with  it.  The  law  re- 
quires newspaper  postage  to  be  paid  in  advance,  and 
now  that  I  have  waited  a  full  year  you  choose  to  wound 


LINCOLN'S  HONESTY  87 

my  feelings  by  insinuating  that  unless  you  get  a  receipt 
I  will  probably  make  you  pay  it  again." 

The  letter  enclosed  a  receipt  "in  full  for  postage  on 
the  Sangamon  Journal  up  to  the  first  of  July,  1834." 

After  Lincoln's  defeat  as  a  candidate  for  the  legis- 
lature, he  found  himself  in  a  serious  situation  which 
he  afterward  described  in  the  following  statement  con- 
tained in  a  short  autobiography  (written  in  the  third 
person)  prepared  at  the  request  of  a  friend,  to  be  used 
for  campaign  purposes : 

"He  was  now  without  means  and  out  of  business,  but 
was  anxious  to  remain  with  his  friends,  who  had  treat- 
ed him  with  so  much  generosity,  especially  as  he  had 
nothing  elsewhere  to  go  to.  He  studied  what  he  should 
do — thought  of  learning  the  blacksmith  trade — thought 
of  trying  to  study  law — rather  thought  he  could  not 
succeed  at  that  without  a  better  education." 

It  was  in  this  crisis  that  the  unfortunate  partner- 
ship with  William  F.  Berry  was  formed  with  the  pur- 
pose of  buying  out  the  store  owned  by  the  Herndon 
Brothers  in  New  Salem.  Later  on,  the  new  firm 
bought  two  other  stores.  For  their  purchase  not  a  cent 
of  money  was  paid,  notes  being  given  to  cover  the 
amounts  of  the  different  transactions.  Berry  was  dis- 
sipated, the  business  proved  to  be  a  disastrous  failure, 
and  was  disposed  of  on  credit  to  the  Trent  Brothers. 
They  broke  up  and  left  the  country.  Later,  Berry  died 
and  Lincoln  became  responsible  for  the  entire  debt. 
With  the  lax  moral  ideals  relating  to  business  which 
prevailed  in  the  community,  it  would  have  been  easy 
for  Lincoln  to  repudiate  his  liabilities,  pleading  the 


88  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

failure  of  the  business  and  the  attendant  circum- 
stances. But  he  did  not  even  try  to  compromise  the 
claims  against  the  firm.  He  deliberately  assumed  re- 
sponsibility for  the  entire  amount  due  and  resolutely 
determined  to  keep  his  promise  to  the  creditors  to  pay 
all  as  soon  as  possible.  It  took  him  seventeen  years  to 
redeem  this  promise,  but  finally  every  penny  of  the 
debt,  which  he  humorously  referred  to  as  "the  national 
debt,"  was  paid,  with  interest.  While  he  was  serving 
in  Congress  in  1848,  portions  of  his  salary  were  sent 
to  his  law  partner  from  time  to  time  to  apply  on  the 
debt. 

In  writing  to  an  intimate  friend  of  his  later  years, 
Lincoln  revealed  the  seriousness  of  the  burden  of  this 
experience  by  saying: 

"That  debt  was  the  greatest  obstacle  I  have  ever  met 
in  my  life.  I  had  no  way  of  speculating,  and  could  not 
earn  money  except  by  labor,  and  to  earn  by  labor  eleven 
hundred  dollars,  besides  my  living,  seemed  the  work  of 
a  lifetime.  There  was,  however,  but  one  way.  I  went 
to  the  creditors  and  told  them  that  if  they  would  let  me 
alone,  I  would  give  them  all  I  could  earn  over  my  living, 
as  fast  as  I  could  earn  it." 

Out  of  such  a  disheartening  failure  in  business, 
there  came  the  victory  of  character  growth  in  the  form 
of  that  uncompromising  honesty  for  which  Abraham 
Lincoln  was  to  be  known  and  honored  for  all  time. 

Lincoln's  sterling  honesty  was  no  doubt  largely  re- 
sponsible for  his  appointment  as  deputy  county  sur- 
veyor, which  came  to  him  in  his  direst  need.  The  work 
thus  secured  "procured  bread,  and  kept  soul  and  body 


Keystone  View  Co. 

STATUE— LINCOLN  AND   THE   SLAVE 

The  original  of  this  statue,  by  Thomas  Ball,  is   in  Boston,  and  the 

replica  is  in  Washington.    It  is  considered  one  of  the  best  treatments 

of  the  emancipation  of  the  slave. 


LINCOLN'S  HONESTY  91 

together,"  to  quote  his  own  words  in  referring  to  the 
matter  in  after  years.  The  fact  that  the  county  sur- 
veyor, John  Calhoun,  who  made  the  choice,  was  a  lead- 
ing Democrat,  while  Lincoln  was  an  ardent  Whig,  gives 
special  significance  to  this  appointment  which  was 
made  at  a  time  when  party  spirit  ran  high  and  politi- 
cal contests  were  noted  for  their  bitterness.  Striking 
evidence  of  the  honesty  in  politics,  which  was  to  be 
such  a  marked  feature  in  his  political  career,  was 
shown  in  his  statement  made  when  he  was  offered  the 
much-needed  position.  He  stated  that  he  would  take 
the  office  if  he  could  be  perfectly  free  in  his  political 
actions  but  that  if  his  political  sentiments  or  even  the 
expression  of  them  were  to  be  abridged  in  any  way, 
he  would  not  have  it  or  any  other  office. 

But  honesty  was  not  the  only  qualification  which 
appealed  to  Calhoun  in  selecting  his  deputy.  He  must 
have  had  unlimited  faith  in  Lincoln's  ability  to  pre- 
pare to  fill  the  important  position  to  which  he  had  ap- 
pointed him,  for  he  certainly  knew  that  he  had  little 
or  no  knowledge  of  surveying.  There  is  a  well  authen- 
ticated tradition  at  least  that  when  he  gave  him  the  ap- 
pointment he  supplied  him  with  the  necessary  books  to 
study  in  preparation  for  his  work.  Certain  it  is  that 
in  a  few  weeks  Lincoln  had  prepared  himself  to  enter 
upon  his  duties,  which  were  performed  with  satisfac- 
tion to  all  concerned.  He  soon  became  an  excellent 
surveyor,  so  noted  for  his  accuracy  that  when  disputes 
arose  about  corner  stones  or  boundaries,  it  was  not 
uncommon  for  the  parties  to  the  dispute  to  agree  to 
send  for  Lincoln  and  let  him  decide  the  matter. 


92  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Lincoln's  work  as  surveyor  necessitated  the  pur- 
chase of  a  horse.  He  was  unable  to  pay  cash  and 
agreed  to  make  settlement  on  the  installment  plan. 
When  all  but  ten  dollars  had  been  paid,  he  was  sued 
for  that  amount.  He  was  able  to  raise  the  money  and 
soon  settled  this  suit.  A  little  later  he  was  sued  again 
on  one  of  the  Berry-Lincoln  notes.  Judgment  was  ob- 
tained and  his  horse,  saddle,  and  surveying  instru- 
ments were  attached  to  secure  the  claim.  Loyal 
friends,  who  had  confidence  in  his  honesty,  came  to  his 
rescue,  redeemed  the  property,  and  thus  enabled  him 
to  continue  his  work. 

Additional  evidence  of  Lincoln's  honesty  is  found 
in  the  fact  that  he  never  used  the  information  gained 
as  surveyor  to  make  money  for  himself  by  means  of 
real  estate  deals  of  any  kind.  No  doubt  many  oppor- 
tunities for  profitable  speculation  came  to  him,  but  he 
would  not  use  for  private  gain  the  knowledge  secured 
in  public  office,  which  was  to  him  indeed  a  public  trust, 
never  to  be  violated  in  the  least  particular.  His  high 
ideals  relative  to  public  office  were  exemplified  many 
times  when  he  was  President.  On  one  occasion,  he  was 
strongly  urged  by  a  delegation  of  friends  to  appoint 
to  an  important  office  one  of  his  closest  personal 
friends.  This  he  declined  to  do,  with  the  explanation 
that  he  did  not  "regard  it  as  just  to  the  public  to  pay 
the  debts  of  personal  friendship  with  offices  that  be- 
longed to  the  people." 

While  serving  as  postmaster  and  surveyor,  Lincoln 
rapidly  extended  his  acquaintance.  His  generous  na- 
ture, manifested  by  his  readiness  to  help  others,  and 


LINCOLN'S  HONESTY  93 

his  gratitude  for  every  favor  received,  soon  turned 
acquaintance  into  lasting  friendship.  His  honesty  in 
financial  matters  won  the  confidence  of  all.  As  a  re- 
sult, he  grew  in  political  influence  to  such  an  extent 
that  he  won  four  successive  victories  as  a  candidate 
for  the  legislature,  notwithstanding  the  handicap  of 
his  debts.  Fortunately,  in  those  days  election  expenses 
were  not  so  large  as  at  present.  As  an  indication  of 
this,  as  well  as  an  illustration  of  Lincoln's  honesty,  it 
is  especially  interesting  to  note  an  incident  of  one  of 
his  campaigns  as  related  by  his  friend,  Joshua  Speed. 
The  Whigs  raised  two  hundred  dollars  which  Speed 
gave  to  Lincoln  to  pay  his  personal  expenses  in  the 
campaign.  After  the  election  was  over,  he  gave  back 
one  hundred  and  ninety-nine  dollars  and  twenty-five 
cents  of  the  amount,  with  the  request  that  it  be  re- 
turned to  the  subscribers,  accompanying  the  request 
with  the  frank  statement: 

"I  did  not  need  the  money.  I  made  the  canvass  on 
my  own  horse;  my  entertainment,  being  at  the  houses 
of  friends,  cost  me  nothing;  and  my  only  outlay  was 
seventy-five  cents  for  a  barrel  of  cider,  which  some 
farm  hands  insisted  I  should  treat  them  to." 

In  securing  the  removal  of  the  state  capital  from 
Vandalia  to  Springfield,  Lincoln  played  the  leading 
part.  The  change  was  bitterly  contested.  To  secure 
the  removal,  the  customary  trading  of  votes  was  un- 
doubtedly indulged  in.  In  playing  the  political  game 
Lincoln  was  an  expert  so  long  as  it  was  played  hon- 
estly. But  in  this  contest,  as  in  all  others  in  which  he 
had  a  part,  he  never  violated  his  high  ideals  of  right 


94  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

and  duty.  He  was  honest  from  principle  and  not  from 
policy.  He  would  not  use  wrong  means  to  secure  right 
ends.  An  illustration  of  this  is  found  in  his  refusal 
to  lend  his  influence  in  support  of  a  proposed  measure 
of  doubtful  character,  which  his  friends  urged  upon 
him  as  a  means  of  helping  to  win  in  the  contest.  It  is 
related  that  at  different  conferences,  the  strongest  in- 
fluences were  used  without  avail.  Every  possible  ar- 
gument in  favor  of  the  proposed  measure  was  pre- 
sented. Lincoln  was  implored  to  lay  aside  his  "incon- 
venient scruples"  and  to  join  in  making  sure  of  the  re- 
moval of  the  capital.  The  discussion  was  brought  to 
a  close  by  Lincoln  in  what  is  reported  to  have  been  a 
"most  eloquent  and  powerful"  speech  against  the 
measure,  closing  with  the  frequently  quoted  words: 

"You  may  burn  my  body  to  ashes  and  scatter  them  to 
the  winds  of  heaven;  you  may  drag  my  soul  down  to 
the  regions  of  darkness  and  despair,  to  be  tormented 
forever;  but  you  will  never  get  me  to  support  a  meas- 
ure which  I  believe  to  be  wrong,  although  by  doing  so 
I  may  accomplish  that  which  I  believe  to  be  the  right." 

One  of  the  provisions  of  the  act  for  the  removal  of 
the  capital  was  that  the  place  selected  should  be  re- 
quired to  obligate  itself  to  contribute  fifty  thousand 
dollars  to  be  used  in  helping  to  erect  a  state  house. 
This  was  a  large  sum  of  money  for  the  citizens  of  a 
small  frontier  town  to  raise,  especially  under  the  fi- 
nancial conditions  existing  at  that  time.  Stephen  A. 
Douglas,  the  Register  of  the  Land  Office,  proposed  a 
measure  to  release  Springfield  from  the  obligation 
which  it  was  in  honor  bound  to  meet.    This  measure 


LINCOLN'S  HONESTY  95 

Lincoln  opposed  and  helped  to  defeat.  His  reason  for 
so  doing  was  tersely  stated :  "We  have  the  benefit ;  let 
us  stand  to  our  obligation  like  men." 

Under  his  leadership,  the  obligation  was  met,  and 
the  honor  of  the  community  was  maintained  by  the 
payment  of  the  full  amount  in  three  equal  installments. 
Money  for  the  first  two  was  raised  with  much  diffi- 
culty. The  last  was  paid  by  borrowing  the  amount 
from  the  State  Bank,  for  which  a  note  was  given, 
signed  by  all  the  citizens  of  the  town,  including  Lin- 
coln. For  many  years  this  liquidated  note  was  ex- 
hibited in  one  of  the  banking  houses  of  Springfield — 
a  silent  witness  to  the  honesty  of  the  people  who  fol- 
lowed the  advice  of  Lincoln  and  stood  by  their  obli- 
gation like  men. 

Many  additional  instances  could  be  given  to  show 
that  Lincoln  never  deviated  in  his  loyalty  to  the  high- 
est ideals  of  honor  and  honesty  in  public  as  well  as  in 
private  life.  Any  proposal  to  repudiate  in  the  slight- 
est degree  a  debt  or  a  promise,  invariably  met  with  his 
disapproval.    His  word  was  indeed  as  good  as  his  bond. 

In  "Notes  for  a  Law  Lecture"  prepared  by  Lincoln 
in  1850  can  be  found  a  clear  presentation  of  the  high 
ideals  which  he  always  maintained  in  the  practice  of 
law,  together  with  the  principles  which  always  guided 
him  in  that  practice.  In  this,  as  in  all  other  relations 
of  life,  honesty  was  the  foundation  of  all  his  acts. 
"There  is  a  vague  popular  belief,"  says  he  in  these 
"Notes,"  "that  lawyers  are  necessarily  dishonest.  I 
say  vague,  because  when  we  consider  to  what  extent 
confidence  and  honors  are  reposed  in  and  conferred 


96  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

upon  lawyers  by  the  people,  it  appears  improbable 
that  their  impression  of  dishonesty  is  very  distinct 
and  vivid.  Yet  the  impression  is  common,  almost  uni- 
versal. Let  no  young  man  choosing  the  law  for  a  call- 
ing for  a  moment  yield  to  the  popular  belief — resolve 
to  be  honest,  at  all  events;  and  if  in  your  own  judg- 
ment you  cannot  be  an  honest  lawyer,  resolve  to  be 
honest  without  being  a  lawyer.  Choose  some  other 
occupation,  rather  than  one  in  the  choosing  of  which 
you  do,  in  advance,  consent  to  be  a  knave." 

This  advice — "Resolve  to  be  honest  at  all  events," 
— Lincoln  followed  in  all  his  relations  with  his  clients, 
with  his  associates  in  the  profession,  and  with  the 
courts.  Evidence  of  this  is  found  both  in  the  tributes 
paid  to  him  by  other  members  of  the  bar,  who  travelled 
the  circuit  with  him,  and  in  numerous  incidents  re- 
corded by  his  biographers. 

"But  it  was  morally  impossible  for  Lincoln  to  argue 
dishonestly,"  says  Henry  C.  Whitney,  one  of  his  most 
intimate  associates.  "He  could  no  more  do  it  than  he 
could  steal ;  it  was  the  same  thing  to  him,  in  essence, 
to  despoil  a  man  of  his  property  by  larceny,  or  by  illog- 
ical or  flagitious  reasoning;  and  even  to  defeat  a 
suitor  by  technicalities  or  by  merely  arbitrary  law 
savored  strongly  of  dishonesty  by  him."  .  .  .  "He 
gave  but  the  slightest  attention  to  rules  of  evidence, 
and  rarely  objected  to  the  admission  of  anything  at 
all  allowable ;  he  could  not  endure  those  illiberal  prac- 
tices required  at  the  hands  of  the  complete  lawyer ;  he 
could  not  practice  or  countenance  that  selfishness  which 
the  requirements  of  good  practice  demanded.    All  the 


LINCOLN'S  HONESTY  97 

generalizations  of  his  mind  tended  to  frankness,  fair- 
ness, and  the  attainment  of  substantial  justice,  and  the 
simplest  mode  was  to  him  the  best.  In  entering  upon 
a  trial,  he  stated  the  whole  case  on  both  sides,  as  he 
understood  it,  with  fairness  and  frankness,  not  at- 
tempting to  gloss  over  the  faults  and  imperfections  of 
his  own  case,  or  to  improperly  disparage  the  adverse 
side." 

In  illustration  of  Lincoln's  readiness  to  admit  "any- 
thing at  all  allowable"  in  the  way  of  evidence,  Whitney 
relates  the  following  personal  experience: 

"When  I  was  new  to  the  bar,  I  was  trying  to  keep 
some  evidence  out,  and  was  getting  along  very  well 
with  the  court,  when  Lincoln  sung  out:  'I  reckon  it 
would  be  fair  to  let  that  in/  It  sounded  treasonable, 
but  I  had  to  get  used  to  this  eccentricity." 

Whitney  was  not  the  only  member  of  the  bar  who 
was  rebuked  for  an  attempt  to  indulge  in  sharp  prac- 
tice in  order  to  win  a  point.  His  law  partner,  William 
H.  Herndon,  in  his  life  of  Lincoln,  tells  of  his  experi- 
ence in  running  counter  to  Lincoln's  uncompromising 
honesty : 

"Messrs.  Stuart  and  Edwards  once  brought  a  suit 
against  a  client  of  ours  which  involved  the  title  to  con- 
siderable property.  At  that  time  we  had  only  two  or 
three  terms  of  court,  and  the  docket  was  somewhat 
crowded.  The  plaintiff's  attorneys  were  pressing  us  for 
a  trial,  and  we  were  equally  as  anxious  to  ward  it  off. 
What  we  wanted  were  time  and  a  continuance  to  the 
next  term.  We  dared  not  make  an  affidavit  for  contin- 
uance, founded  on  facts,  because  no  such  pertinent 


98  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

and  material  facts  as  the  law  contemplated  existed. 
Our  case  for  the  time  seemed  hopeless.  One  morning, 
however,  I  accidentally  overheard  a  remark  from 
Stuart  indicating  his  fear  lest  a  certain  fact  should 
happen  to  come  into  our  possession.  I  felt  some  re- 
lief, and  at  once  drew  up  a  fictitious  plea,  averring  as 
best  I  could  the  substance  of  the  doubts  I  knew  existed 
in  Stuart's  mind.  The  plea  was  as  skilfully  drawn  as 
I  knew  how,  and  was  framed  as  if  we  had  the  evidence 
to  sustain  it.  The  whole  thing  was  a  sham,  but  so  con- 
structed as  to  work  the  desired  continuance,  because  I 
knew  that  Stuart  and  Edwards  believed  the  facts  were 
as  I  pleaded  them.  This  was  done  in  the  absence  and 
without  the  knowledge  of  Lincoln.  The  plea  could  not 
be  demurred  to,  and  the  opposing  counsel  dared  not 
take  the  issue  on  it.  It  perplexed  them  sorely.  At 
length,  before  further  steps  were  taken,  Lincoln  came 
into  court.  He  looked  carefully  over  all  the  papers  in 
the  case,  as  was  his  custom,  and  seeing  my  ingenious 
subterfuge,  asked,  'Is  this  seventh  plea  a  good  one?' 
Proud  of  the  exhibition  of  my  skill,  I  answered  that  it 
was.  'But/  he  inquired,  incredulously,  'is  it  founded  on 
fact?'  I  was  obliged  to  respond  in  the  negative,  at  the 
same  time  following  up  my  answer  with  an  explanation 
of  what  I  had  overheard  Stuart  intimate,  and  of  how 
these  alleged  facts  could  be  called  facts  if  a  certain 
construction  were  put  upon  them.  I  insisted  that  our 
position  was  justifiable,  and  that  our  client  must  have 
time  or  be  ruined.  I  could  see  at  once  it  failed  to  strike 
Lincoln  as  just  right.  He  scratched  his  head  thought- 
fully and  asked,  'Hadn't  we  better  withdraw  that  plea? 


LINCOLN'S  HONESTY  99 

You  know  it's  a  sham,  and  a  sham  is  very  often  but 
another  name  for  a  lie.  Don't  let  it  go  on  record.  The 
cursed  thing  may  come  staring  us  in  the  face  long 
after  this  suit  has  been  forgotten/  The  plea  was  with- 
drawn.   By  some  agency — not  our  own — the  case  was 

continued  and  our  client's  interests  were  saved 

I  venture  the  assertion  that  he  was  the  only  member 
of  the  bar  in  Springfield  who  would  have  taken  such  a 
conscientious  view  of  the  matter." 

"Discourage  litigation,"  advised  Lincoln  in  his  "Notes 
for  Law  Lectures"  previously  quoted  from.  "Persuade 
your  neighbors  to  compromise  whenever  you  can. 
Point  out  to  them  how  the  nominal  winner  is  often  the 
real  loser — in  fees,  expenses,  and  waste  of  time.  As  a 
peacemaker  the  lawyer  has  a  superior  opportunity  of 
being  a  good  man.    There  will  still  be  business  enough. 

"Never  stir  up  litigation.  A  worse  man  can  scarcely 
be  found  than  one  who  does  this.  Who  can  be  more 
nearly  a  fiend  than  he  who  habitually  overhauls  the 
register  of  deeds  in  search  of  defects  in  titles,  whereon 
to  stir  up  strife,  and  put  money  in  his  pocket?  A  moral 
tone  ought  to  be  infused  into  the  profession  which 
should  drive  such  men  out  of  it. 

"The  matter  of  fees  is  important,  far  beyond  the 
mere  question  of  bread  and  butter  involved.  Properly 
attended  to,  fuller  justice  is  done  to  both  lawyer  and 
client.  An  exorbitant  fee  should  never  be  claimed.  As 
a  general  rule,  never  take  your  whole  fee  in  advance, 
nor  any  more  than  a  small  retainer.  When  fully  paid 
beforehand,  you  are  more  than  a  common  mortal  if  you 
can  feel  the  same  interest  in  the  case,  as  if  something 
was  still  in  prospect  for  you,  as  well  as  for  your  client. 
And  when  you  lack  interest  in  the  case,  the  job  will 
very  likely  lack  skill  and  diligence  in  the  performance." 


100  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

The  following  incidents  conclusively  prove  that  Lin- 
coln followed  his  own  advice  to  the  letter. 

To  one  man  who  presented  a  case  for  consideration, 
he  said  : 

"Yes,  we  can  doubtless  gain  your  case  for  you;  we 
can  set  a  whole  neighborhood  at  loggerheads;  we  can 
distress  a  widowed  mother  and  her  six  fatherless  chil- 
dren and  thereby  get  for  you  six  hundred  dollars  to 
which  you  seem  to  have  a  legal  claim,  but  which  rightly 
belongs,  it  appears  to  me,  as  much  to  the  woman  and 
children  as  it  does  to  you.  You  must  remember  that 
some  things  legally  right  are  not  morally  right.  We 
shall  not  take  your  case,  but  will  give  you  a  little  advice 
for  which  we  will  charge  you  nothing.  You  seem  to  be 
a  sprightly,  energetic  man;  we  would  advise  you  to  try 
your  hand  at  making  six  hundred  dollars  in  some  other 
way." 

To  another  client,  he  wrote : 

"I  do  not  think  there  is  the  least  use  of  doing  any- 
thing more  with  your  lawsuit.  I  not  only  do  not  think 
you  are  sure  to  gain  it,  but  I  do  think  you  are  sure  to 
lose  it.    Therefore  the  sooner  it  ends  the  better." 

In  one  instance  a  client,  who  was  a  widow,  employed 
Lincoln  and  Herndon  to  investigate  the  title  to  a  valu- 
able piece  of  property  which  she  owned,  with  the  pur- 
pose of  determining  the  validity  of  certain  alleged  tax 
liens  against  it.  The  investigation  revealed  an  unsat- 
isfactory description  in  one  of  the  deeds.  To  deter- 
mine the  facts  in  the  case,  Lincoln  surveyed  the  ground 
and  thereby  discovered  that  a  former  owner,  Charles 
Matheney,  by  name,  in  selling  the  property,  had  given 
a  deed  for  more  land  than  he  was  paid  for,  because  of 


LINCOLN'S  HONESTY  101 

an  error  in  the  description.  Lincoln  decided  that  this 
loss  should  be  made  up  to  the  Matheney  heirs  and  so 
advised  his  client,  who  strenuously  objected  to  follow- 
ing his  advice.  However,  upon  learning  that  unless 
she  did  so,  the  firm  of  which  Lincoln  was  a  member 
would  drop  the  case,  the  required  sum  to  make  resti- 
tution was  paid,  and  distributed  by  Lincoln  to  the  va- 
rious heirs. 

Lincoln's  fees  for  services  rendered  were  exceed- 
ingly small — provokingly  small  to  many  of  his  asso- 
ciates at  the  bar.  In  some  instances,  he  returned  all 
the  retaining  fee  given  him,  when  convinced  by  inves- 
tigation that  the  case  which  he  was  retained  to  prose- 
cute or  to  defend  was  without  merit.  A  notable  illus- 
tration of  this  is  related  by  Carpenter  in  his  Six 
Months  at  the  White  House: 

"About  the  time  Mr.  Lincoln  began  to  be  known  as 
a  successful  lawyer,  he  was  waited  upon  by  a  lady  who 
held  a  real-estate  claim  which  she  desired  to  have  him 
prosecute, — putting  into  his  hands,  with  the  necessary 
papers,  a  check  for  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  as 
a  retaining  fee.  Mr.  Lincoln  said  he  would  look  the 
case  over,  and  asked  her  to  call  again  the  next  day. 
Upon  presenting  herself,  Mr.  Lincoln  told  her  that  he 
had  gone  through  the  papers  very  carefully,  and  he 
must  tell  her  frankly  that  there  was  not  a  'peg'  to  hang 
her  claim  upon,  and  he  could  not  conscientiously  ad- 
vise her  to  bring  an  action.  The  lady  was  satisfied, 
and,  thanking  him,  rose  to  go.  'Wait/  said  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, fumbling  in  his  vest  pocket ;  'here  is  the  check  you 
left  with  me/      'But,  Mr.  Lincoln/  returned  the  lady, 


102  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

'I  think  you  have  earned  that.'  'No,  no/  he  responded, 
handing  it  back  to  her;  'that  would  not  be  right,  I 
can't  take  pay  for  doing  my  duty/  " 

At  one  time  Lincoln  prepared  a  lease  for  a  client, 
;who  sent  him  a  check  for  twenty-five  dollars,  which  he 
considered  a  proper  charge  for  the  service  he  had  re- 
ceived. In  a  short  time  he  was  surprised  to  receive 
the  following  letter : 

"I  have  just  received  yours  of  the  16th,  with  check  on 
Flagg  and  Savage  for  twenty-five  dollars.  You  must 
think  I  am  a  high-priced  man.  You  are  too  liberal  with 
your  money.  Fifteen  dollars  is  enough  for  the  job.  I 
send  you  a  receipt  for  fifteen  dollars,  and  return  to  you 
a  ten  dollar  bill." 

On  another  occasion  Ward  H.  Lamon,  Lincoln's  as- 
sociate on  the  circuit,  was  retained  in  an  important 
case  by  a  client  named  Scott.  This  client  was  acting 
as  the  guardian  of  a  demented  sister,  whose  property 
amounting  to  ten  thousand  dollars  had  induced  an  un- 
principled adventurer  to  attempt  to  marry  the  unfor- 
tunate girl.  In  order  to  carry  out  his  nefarious  de- 
sign, it  was  necessary  to  remove  the  guardian.  To  op- 
pose this  action,  Lamon  was  retained  by  Scott,  who 
insisted  that  the  amount  of  the  fee  be  named  in  ad- 
vance. Lamon  advised  against  this,  as  the  probabili- 
ties were  that  the  matter  would  be  easily  settled  and 
the  fee  would  be  small.  His  advice  was  ignored,  and 
upon  the  further  insistence  of  Scott,  the  fee  was  fixed 
at  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  This  amount  was 
eagerly  agreed  to  by  him,  in  view  of  what  he  believed 
would  be  a  prolonged  contest  in  the  court. 


LINCOLN'S  HONESTY  103 

Lincoln,  himself,  took  charge  of  the  case  when  it 
came  on,  and  in  a  few  minutes  won  a  complete  victory 
for  his  client,  who  gladly  paid  to  Lamon  the  promised 
fee.  When  Lincoln  learned  that  the  fee  was  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  dollars,  he  indignantly  exclaimed: 
"Lamon,  that  is  all  wrong.  The  service  was  not  worth 
that  sum.    Give  him  back  at  least  half  of  it." 

In  reply  to  this  demand,  Lamon  protested  that  the 
fee  had  been  agreed  upon  in  advance  and  that  their 
client  was  perfectly  satisfied.  But  Lincoln  was  im- 
movable, as  he  always  was  when  his  ideals  of  honesty 
and  justice  were  at  stake.  He  replied:  "That  may 
be,  but  I  am  not  satisfied.  This  is  positively  wrong. 
Go,  call  him  back,  and  return  half  the  money  at  least, 
or  I  will  not  receive  one  cent  of  it  for  my  share." 

It  is,  perhaps,  needless  to  add  that  there  was  no 
further  argument.  Lincoln's  demand  was  complied 
;with  by  returning  half  of  the  fee. 

It  is  related  that  the  presiding  judge  on  this  occa- 
sion, David  Davis,  afterward  a  member  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States  by  Lincoln's  appointment, 
took  advantage  of  the  situation  to  rebuke  Lincoln  by 
saying :  "I  have  been  watching  you  and  Lamon.  You 
are  impoverishing  this  bar  by  your  picayune  charges 
of  fees,  and  the  lawyers  have  reason  to  complain  of 
you.  You  are  now  almost  as  poor  as  Lazarus,  and  if 
you  don't  make  people  pay  you  more  for  your  services, 
you  will  die  as  poor  as  Job's  turkey." 

It  is  further  related  that  the  members  of  the  bar 
who  overheard  the  rebuke,  said  to  have  been  spoken 
"in  a  poorly  controlled  whisper,  which  could  be  heard 


104  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

throughout  the  court  room,"  enthusiastically  ap- 
plauded the  remarks  of  the  judge  and  that  Lincoln  de- 
fended his  course  by  saying :  "That  money  comes  out 
of  the  pocket  of  a  poor,  demented  girl,  and  I  would 
rather  starve  than  swindle  her  in  this  manner." 

It  is  possible  that  Judge  Davis  may  have  recalled 
this  scene  when,  shortly  after  Lincoln's  death,  he  paid 
tribute  to  his  honesty,  as  quoted  in  the  opening  para- 
graph of  this  chapter,  and  described  how  he  exempli- 
fied this  honesty  in  actual  practice  as  follows: 

"To  his  honor  be  it  said  that  he  never  took  from  a 
client,  even  when  his  cause  was  gained,  more  than  he 
thought  the  services  were  worth  and  the  client  could 
reasonably  afford  to  pay.  The  people  where  he  prac- 
ticed law  were  not  rich,  and  his  charges  were  always 
small.  When  he  was  elected  President,  I  question 
whether  there  was  a  lawyer  in  the  circuit  who  had 
been  at  the  bar  so  long  a  time,  whose  means  were  not 
larger.  It  did  not  seem  to  be  one  of  the  purposes  of 
his  life  to  accumulate  a  fortune.  In  fact,  outside  of  his 
profession,  he  had  no  knowledge  of  the  way  to  make 
money,  and  he  never  even  attempted  it." 

Lincoln's  life  began  in  the  midst  of  poverty ;  much  of 
it  was  burdened  with  debt;  it  ended  without  the  ac- 
cumulation of  a  large  fortune.  But  he  bequeathed  to 
the  world  a  legacy  of  honesty  and  integrity  in  all  that 
he  thought,  said,  and  did  in  all  the  varied  activities  of 
his  marvelous  career,  that  cannot  be  measured  by  any 
material  standard — a  legacy  which  will  continue  to  en- 
rich human  life  as  long  as  time  endures. 


CHAPTER  V 
LINCOLN'S  SIMPLICITY 

WITH  Humility,  Reverence,  Loyalty,  and  Honesty 
as  the  foundation  of  Lincoln's  character,  it  is  not 
surprising  that  Simplicity  was  a  distinctive  feature  of 
his  habits  and  actions,  as  well  as  of  his  thought  and 
language.  All  of  these  were  in  harmony  with  the  se- 
vere simplicity  which  characterized  the  society  in 
which  he  grew  up  and  which  has  furnished  the  theme 
of  many  writers  of  both  history  and  fiction. 

Interesting  and  illuminating  glimpses  of  this  society 
are  given  in  the  Nicolay  and  Hay  Life  of  Lincoln. 
In  Volume  1,  Chapter  II,  on  Indiana,  we  read : 

"Their  houses  were  usually  of  one  room,  built  of 

round  logs  with  the  bark  on Their  dress  was 

still  mostly  of  tanned  deer-hide,  a  material  to  the  last 
degree  uncomfortable  when  the  wearer  was  caught  in 
a  shower.  Their  shoes  were  of  the  same,  and  a  good 
Western  authority  calls  a  wet  moccasin  'a  decent  way 
of  going  barefoot.'  About  the  time,  however,  when 
Lincoln  grew  to  manhood,  garments  of  wool  and  of 
tow  began  to  be  worn,  dyed  with  the  juice  of  the  butter- 
nut or  white  walnut,  and  the  hides  of  neat-cattle  began 
to  be  tanned.  But  for  a  good  while  it  was  only  the 
women  who  indulged  in  these  novelties.     There  was 


106  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

little  public  worship.  Occasionally  an  itinerant 
preacher  visited  a  county,  and  the  settlers  for  miles 
around  would  go  nearly  in  mass  to  the  meeting.  If 
a  man  was  possessed  of  a  wagon,  the  family  rode  lux- 
uriously ;  but  as  a  rule  the  men  walked  and  the  women 
went  on  horseback  with  the  little  children  in  their 
arms.  It  was  considered  no  violation  of  the  sanctities 
of  the  occasion  to  carry  a  rifle  and  take  advantage  of 
any  game  which  might  be  stirring  during  the  long 
walk." 

"Governor  Reynolds,"  we  learn  from  Chapter  III 
on  Illinois,  of  the  same  volume,  "tells  us  of  a  preacher 
in  Sangamon  County,  who,  before  his  sermon,  had 
set  a  wolf-trap  in  view  from  his  pulpit.  In  the  midst 
of  his  exhortations  his  keen  eyes  saw  the  distant  trap 
collapse,  and  he  continued  in  the  same  intonation  with 
which  he  had  been  preaching,  'Mind  the  text,  brethren, 

till   I   go   kill    that   wolf!' There   was   very 

little  social  intercourse ;  a  visit  was  a  serious  matter, 
involving  the  expenditure  of  days  of  travel.  It  was 
the  custom  among  families,  when  the  longing  for  the 
sight  of  kindred  faces  was  too  strong  to  withstand,  to 
move  in  a  body  to  the  distant  settlement  where  their 
relatives  lived  and  remain  with  them  for  months  at  a 
time.  The  claims  of  consanguinity  were  more  re- 
garded than  now.  Almost  the  only  festivities  were 
those  that  accompanied  weddings,  and  these  were,  of 
course,  of  a  primitive  kind.  The  perils  and  adventures 
through  which  the  young  pioneers  went  to  obtain  their 
brides  furnish  forth  thousands  of  tales  by  Western 
firesides An     old     farmer     of     Sangamon 


LINCOLN'S  SIMPLICITY  107 

County  still  talks  of  a  feather-bed  weighing  fifty-four 
pounds  with  which  his  wife  made  him  swim  six  rivers 
under  penalty  of  desertion." 

In  no  way  does  Lincoln's  greatness  manifest  itself 
more  conclusively  than  in  his  actions  after  he  had 
been  elevated  to  exalted  position.  Had  he  possessed 
littleness  of  mind  or  soul,  it  would  have  shown  itself 
by  acting  as  if  he  were  ashamed  of  the  simplicity  of 
the  life  through  which  he  had  advanced  to  prominence 
and  of  the  friends  whose  support  had  made  his  ad- 
vancement possible.  Had  he  not  been  great  in  thought 
and  action,  he  might  have  felt  that  his  election  to  the 
Presidency  would  necessitate  a  change  in  the  simple 
manner  and  habits  which  had  always  characterized 
his  life.  All  of  his  biographers  unite  in  testifying  that, 
in  accepting  the  nomination  to  the  Presidency,  in  the 
campaign  which  resulted  in  his  election,  and  in  the 
performance  of  his  official  duties  as  President,  he  re- 
mained unchanged. 

At  the  time  of  Lincoln's  nomination,  simplicity  char- 
acterized the  procedure  of  political  conventions.  The 
two  prominent  candidates  for  nomination  by  the  Re- 
publican party  in  1860  were  Seward  and  Lincoln.  The 
name  of  the  former  was  presented  to  the  convention 
by  William  M.  Evarts  of  New  York,  who  simply  stated 
— "I  take  the  liberty  to  name  as  a  candidate  to  be 
nominated  by  this  convention  for  the  office  of  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  William  H.  Seward."  Nor- 
man B.  Judd  of  Illinois  followed  with  the  announce- 
ment— "I  desire  on  behalf  of  the  delegation  from  Illi- 
nois, to  put  in  nomination  as  a  candidate  for  Presi- 


108  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

dent    of    the    United    States,    Abraham    Lincoln    of 
Illinois." 

The  people  of  Springfield,  who  were  in  close  touch 
with  Lincoln  at  the  time  of  the  convention,  have  never 
agreed  as  to  the  details  of  his  actions  when  the  news 
of  his  nomination  reached  the  city.  There  is  general 
agreement,  however,  that  he  was  restless  under  the 
strain  of  anxiety  which  naturally  accompanied  the 
telegraphic  reports  of  the  proceedings  of  the  conven- 
tion ;  that  while  he  felt  that  he  had  a  fighting  chance  of 
winning,  he  was  not  at  all  confident  of  success;  and 
that  when  he  was  handed  the  telegram  informing  him 
that  he  had  been  nominated  for  the  high  office  of 
President  of  the  United  States,  and  was  surrounded 
by  his  neighbors  and  friends  who  were  rejoicing  over 
the  victory,  his  simplicity  found  expression  in  the 
statement — "My  friends,  I  am  glad  to  receive  your  con- 
gratulations, and  as  there  is  a  little  woman  down  on 
Eighth  Street  who  will  be  glad  to  hear  the  news,  you 
must  excuse  me  until  I  inform  her." 

The  committee  which  came  to  Springfield,  after  the 
adjournment  of  the  convention,  to  notify  Lincoln  of  his 
nomination,  was  composed  of  some  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished men  of  the  nation.  When  they  visited  his 
modest  home,  noted  the  simplicity  of  the  surroundings, 
and  watched  with  keen  interest  his  sad  face  as  he  lis- 
tened to  the  formal  notification  of  his  nomination, 
which  called  him  to  leadership  in  such  a  grave  crisis, 
it  is  not  surprising  to  learn  that  their  hearts  were  at 
first  filled  with  misgivings  and  forebodings.  What 
they  thought  and  how  they  felt  when,  in  violation  of 


LINCOLN'S  SIMPLICITY  109 

the  common  custom  at  that  time  of  serving  wine  on 
all  such  occasions,  water  was  substituted,  will  prob- 
ably never  be  fully  realized.  However,  when  they  lis- 
tened to  his  brief  reply  phrased  in  simple  but  perfect 
English,  expressing  his  thanks  for  the  honor  con- 
ferred, together  with  a  full  realization  of  the  respon- 
sibility which  came  with  the  honor,  all  of  the  members 
of  the  notification  committee  were  satisfied  that  no 
mistake  had  been  made  in  choosing  a  leader.  And 
whatever  their  views  were  on  the  temperance  question, 
they  could  not  but  respect  and  admire  the  consistency 
of  a  man  who  would  not  sacrifice  principle  to  conform 
to  custom. 

His  formal  response  in  writing  followed  a  few  days 
later : 

"Springfield,  III.,  May  23,  1860 
"Hon.  George  Ashmun, 

"President  of  the  Republican  National  Convention 
"Sir:  I  accept  the  nomination  tendered  me  by  the  Con- 
vention over  which  you  presided,  and  of  which  I  am 
formally  apprised  in  the  letter  of  yourself  and  others, 
acting  as  a  committee  of  the  convention  for  that  pur- 
pose. 

"The  declaration  of  principles  and  sentiments  which 
accompanies  your  letter  meets  my  approval;  and  it 
shall  be  my  care  not  to  violate  or  disregard  it  in  any 
part. 

"Imploring  the  assistance  of  Divine  Providence,  and 
with  due  regard  to  the  views  and  feelings  of  all  who 
were  represented  in  the  convention; — to  the  rights  of 
all  the  States,  and  Territories,  and  people  of  the  nation ; 
to  the  inviolability  of  the  Constitution;  and  the  per- 
petual union,  harmony,   and  prosperity  of   all — I  am 


110  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

most  happy  to  co-operate  for  the  practical  success  of 
the  principles  declared  by  the  convention. 

"Your  obliged  friend  and  fellow-citizen, 

"A.  Lincoln/' 

The  brevity  and  simplicity  of  this  important  letter, 
so  characteristic  of  all  that  Lincoln  wrote,  were  the 
result  of  the  most  painstaking  thought  and  care  in  its 
preparation.  After  it  was  finished,  he  took  it  to  his 
friend,  Newton  Bateman,  State  Superintendent  of  Pub- 
lic Instruction  for  Illinois,  and  requested  him  "to  see 
if  it  was  all  right,"  remarking  that  he  was  "not  very 
strong  on  grammar"  and  "wouldn't  like  to  have  any 
mistake  in  it."  Only  one  change  was  suggested.  In 
the  last  clause  of  the  second  paragraph,  Lincoln  had 
"split  an  infinitive"  in  writing  "and  it  shall  be  my  care 
to  not  violate  or  disregard  it  in  any  part."  He  was 
advised  to  change  the  order  of  the  words  so  as  to  con- 
form to  a  rule  of  grammar  considered  more  essential 
to  correct  usage  at  that  time  than  at  present.  This 
advice  Lincoln  followed  by  making  the  change,  accom- 
panied by  the  comment,  "So  you  think  I  better  put 
those  two  little  fellows  end  to  end,  do  you?" 

The  familiar  signature  to  this  letter  of  acceptance, 
"A.  Lincoln,"  evidently  led  to  correspondence  relative 
to  his  first  name,  as  indicated  by  the  following  letter: 

^'Springfield,  III.,  June  4,  1860 
"Hon.  George  Ashmun, 
"My  dear  Sir: 

"It  seems  as  if  the  question  whether  my  first  name  is 
'Abraham'  or  'Abram'  will  never  be  settled.  It  is  'Abra- 
ham/ and  if  the  letter  of  acceptance  is  not  yet  in  print. 


LINCOLN'S  SIMPLICITY  111 

you  may,  if  you  think  fit,  have  my  signature  thereto 
printed  'Abraham  Lincoln/  Exercise  your  judgment 
about  this, 

"Yours  as  ever, 

"A.  Lincoln." 

This  letter  furnishes  additional  evidence  of  the  de- 
lightful informality  and  simplicity  which  were  so 
prominent  in  all  of  the  varied  activities  of  his  life. 

Interesting  glimpses  of  the  unchanged  simplicity  of 
Lincoln's  life,  after  the  recognition  which  made  him  a 
world  figure  came  to  him,  are  given  by  all  his  leading 
biographers.  In  describing  the  progress  of  the  cam- 
paign which  resulted  in  his  election  to  the  Presidency, 
Miss  Tarbell  in  her  Life  of  Lincoln  says : 

"From  May  until  November  this  work  for  the  ticket 
went  on  steadily  and  ardently.  Mr.  Lincoln  during 
all  this  time  remained  quietly  in  Springfield.  The  con- 
spicuous position  in  which  he  was  placed  made  almost 
no  difference  in  his  simple  life.  He  was  the  same 
genial,  accessible,  modest  man  as  ever,  his  habits  as 
unpretentious,  his  friendliness  as  great.  The  chief 
outward  change  in  his  daily  round  was  merely  one  of 
quarters.  It  seemed  to  his  friends  that  neither  his 
home  nor  his  dingy  law  office  was  an  appropriate  place 
in  which  to  receive  his  visitors  and  they  arranged  that 
a  room  in  the  State  House  which  stood  on  the  village 
green  in  the  center  of  the  town,  be  put  at  his  disposal. 
He  came  down  to  this  office  every  morning  about  eight 
o'clock,  always  stopping  on  his  way  in  his  old  cordial 
fashion  to  ask  the  news  or  exchange  a  story  when  he 
met  an  acquaintance.    Frequently  he  went  to  the  post 


112  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

office  himself  before  going  to  his  office,  and  came  out, 
his  arms  loaded  with  letters  and  papers. 

"He  had  no  regular  hours  for  visitors ;  there  was  no 
ceremony  for  admittance  to  his  presence.  People  came 
when  they  would.  Usually  they  found  the  door  open ; 
if  it  was  not,  it  was  Mr.  Lincoln's  own  voice  which 
answered  'come  in/  to  their  knock. 

***** 

"Among  his  daily  visitors  there  were  usually  men 
of  eminence  from  North  and  South.  He  received  them 
all  with  perfect  simplicity  and  always,  even  on  his 
busiest  days,  found  a  moment  to  turn  away  from  them 
to  greet  old  friends  who  had  known  him  when  he  kept 
grocery  in  New  Salem  or  acted  as  deputy-surveyor  of 
Sangamon  County.  One  day  as  he  talked  to  a  company 
of  distinguished  strangers  an  old  lady  in  a  big  sun- 
bonnet,  heavy  boots  and  short  skirts,  walked  into  the 
office.  She  carried  a  package  wrapped  in  brown  paper 
and  tied  with  a  white  string.  As  soon  as  Mr.  Lincoln 
saw  her  he  left  the  group,  went  to  meet  her  and,  shak- 
ing her  hand  cordially,  inquired  for  her  'folks/  After 
a  moment  the  old  lady  opened  her  package  and  taking 
out  a  pair  of  coarse  wool  socks,  she  handed  them  to 
him.  'I  wanted  to  give  you  somethin',  Mr.  Linkin/ 
she  said,  'to  take  to  Washington,  and  that's  all  I  hed. 
I  spun  that  yarn  and  knit  them  socks  myself/  Thank- 
ing her  warmly,  Mr.  Lincoln  took  the  socks  and  holding 
them  up  by  the  toes,  one  in  each  hand,  he  turned  to 
the  astonished  celebrities  and  said  in  a  voice  full  of 


LINCOLN'S  SIMPLICITY  118 

kindly  amusement,  'The  lady  got  my  latitude  and  longi- 
tude about  right,  didn't  she,  gentlemen?'  " 

In  the  Nicolay  and  Hay  Life  of  Lincoln,  we  learn 
in  the  interesting  chapter  on  "The  President-Elect" 
that: 

"To  all  appearances  Lincoln  remained  unchanged. 
In  the  unpretending  two-story  frame  house  which  con- 
stituted his  home,  his  daily  routine  continued  as  be- 
fore, except  that  his  door  was  oftener  opened  to  wel- 
come the  curious  visitor  or  to  shelter  the  confidential 
discussion  of  ominous  occurrences  in  national  affairs. 
His  daily  public  occupation  was  to  proceed  to  the 
Governor's  office  in  the  State  House,  to  receive  the 
cordial  and  entirely  unceremonious  greetings  of  high 
and  low, — whosoever  chose  to  enter  the  open  door, — 
and  in  the  interim  to  keep  himself  informed,  by  means 
of  the  daily-increasing  budget  of  letters  and  news- 
papers, of  the  events  of  the  country  at  large,  and  to 
give  directions  to  his  private  secretary  as  to  what  re- 
plies should  be  made  to  important  communications. 
Beyond  the  arrival  of  distinguished  visitors,  there 
was  in  all  this  no  sign  of  elevation  and  rulership ;  he 
was  still  the  kind  neighbor  and  genial  companion, 
who  had  for  every  one  he  met  the  same  bearing  which 
for  a  quarter  of  a  century  had  made  his  name  a  house- 
hold synonym  of  manly  affection,  virtue,  and  honor." 

For  a  few  days  before  leaving  Springfield  for  Wash- 
ington, the  Lincoln  family  lived  at  the  Chenery  House, 
the  leading  hotel  in  the  city  at  that  time.  From  the 
Springfield  Register,  quoted  in  Weik's  The  Real  Lin- 


114  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

coin,  the  following  paragraph  is  taken  as  a  further 
illustration  of  Lincoln's  simplicity: 

"During  Mr.  Lincoln's  sojourn  at  the  hotel  he  had 
been  visited  by  many  men  of  prominence  whom  he  had 
summoned  for  conferences  on  national  affairs.  The 
complete  absence  of  ostentation  and  his  physical  self- 
reliance  was  illustrated  on  the  morning  of  his  depar- 
ture when  in  the  hotel  office  he  roped  his  trunks  with 
his  own  hands,  took  somQ  of  the  hotel  cards,  on  the 
back  of  which  he  wrote 

'A.  Lincoln, 
White  House, 

Washington,  D.  C/ 
and  tacked  them  on  the  trunks,  supplementing  the  act 
by  writing  his  autograph  on  another  card  and  giving 
it  to  the  landlord's  daughter." 

"Because  he  did  not  appoint  a  goodly  portion  of  his 
early  associates  to  comfortable  offices,  and  did  not  in- 
terest himself  in  the  welfare  of  every  one  whom  he 
had  known  in  Illinois,  or  met  while  on  the  circuit,  the 
erroneous  impression  grew  that  his  elevation  had 
turned  his  head,"  says  Herndon,  his  law  partner  and 
biographer,  who  answered  the  false  accusation  by  de- 
claring : 

"There  was  no  foundation  for  such  an  unwarranted 
conclusion.  Lincoln  had  not  changed  a  particle.  He 
was  overrun  with  duties  and  weighted  down  with 
cares ;  his  surroundings  were  different  and  his  friends 
were  new,  but  he  himself  was  the  same  calm,  just,  and 
devoted  friend  as  of  yore." 


LINCOLN'S  SIMPLICITY  115  * 

In  his  meetings  with  his  Cabinet,  Lincoln's  simplicity- 
was  always  in  evidence.  "The  Cabinet  sessions  were 
absolutely  informal,"  writes  Helen  Nicolay  in  Per- 
sonal Traits  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  "Regular  meetings 
were  held  at  noon  on  Tuesdays  and  Fridays.  When 
special  meetings  were  necessary,  the  President  or  Sec- 
retary of  State  called  the  members  together.  There 
was  a  long  table  in  the  Cabinet  room,  but  it  was  not 
used  as  a  council  board.  The  President  generally 
stood  up  and  walked  about.  The  others  came  in  and 
took  their  seats  according  to  convenience,  staying 
through  the  session,  or  stating  their  business  and  de- 
parting, as  pressure  of  work  demanded.  Sometimes 
the  meeting  was  opened  by  a  remark  or  an  anecdote 
by  the  President,  oftener  by  the  relation  of  some  offi- 
cial or  personal  happening  to  one  of  his  advisers." 

A  characteristic  call  for  a  special  Cabinet  meeting 
illustrative  of  the  informality  described  in  the  pre- 
ceding paragraph,  quoted  from  the  same  source,  is 
found  in  the  following: 

"Please  come  to  Cabinet  y%  past  ten  to-day. 

"A.  Lincoln." 

But  it  was  not  alone  in  his  associations  with  men 
and  women  of  all  classes  and  conditions  that  Lincoln's 
simplicity  was  shown.  It  was  revealed  in  a  most 
striking  and  beautiful  manner  by  his  attitude  toward 
children.  He  loved  his  own  children  with  passionate 
devotion.  He  was  never  too  busy  with  the  affairs  of 
state  to  listen  to  the  appeals  of  little  Tad,  as  his  boy 
Thomas  was  called,  whose  unexpected  presence  caused 
a  break  in  more  than  one  Cabinet  meeting.    It  is  sig- 


116  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

nificant  that  when  Lincoln's  last  picture  was  taken  on 
April  9,  1865 — the  day  of  the  surrender  at  Appomat- 
tox, the  photographer  found  the  great  President  and 
the  indulgent  father  engaged  in  sharpening  a  pencil 
for  Tad.  One  of  the  most  touching  tributes  to  Lincoln's 
memory  is  found  in  the  little  volume  entitled  Tad  and 
His  Father,  by  F.  Lauriston  Bullard,  in  which  is  re- 
corded a  sympathetic  account  of  the  many  amusing 
escapades  of  the  little  lad  whose  mischievous  pranks 
often  helped  to  relieve  his  father's  terrible  anxiety. 

Not  infrequently  the  President  would  join  in  "hav- 
ing a  little  fun  with  the  boys"  by  playing  simple  games 
with  Tad  and  his  companions.  Sometimes  Tad  would 
steal  into  his  father's  room  late  at  night,  creep  into 
his  bed,  and  thus  "the  lonely  man  who  bore  in  his  heart 
the  sorrows  of  the  nation  and  the  lad  in  whose  com- 
radeship he  found  relief  from  the  awful  ordeal  which 
it  was  his  duty  to  endure,  the  father  and  the  boy  to- 
gether entered  the  peaceful  refuge  of  sleep." 

But  Lincoln's  generous  treatment  of  children  was  not 
by  any  means  confined  to  his  own.  He  was  never 
happier  than  when  performing  some  simple  acts  of 
kindness  for  any  child  anywhere.  To  Mrs.  Mary  Ed- 
wards Brown  of  Springfield,  Illinois,  we  are  indebted 
for  a  most  interesting  incident  in  which  her  mother, 
a  niece  of  Mrs.  Lincoln's,  was  the  recipient  of  his  kind- 
ness, when  a  little  girl.  She  was  about  to  leave  her 
home  to  take  her  first  trip  on  a  train,  to  which  she  had 
been  looking  forward  with  eager  anticipation  for 
weeks.  It  was  nearly  train  time  and  the  drayman  had 
not  come  for  her  trunk.     She  was  nervous  with  fear 


LINCOLN'S  SIMPLICITY  117 

that  she  would  miss  the  train  and  was  crying  bit- 
terly, when  her  "Uncle  Abe"  came  by  on  the  way  to 
his  office.  Learning  the  cause  of  her  grief,  he  pro- 
ceeded at  once  to  quiet  her  fears  by  shouldering  her 
trunk  and  carrying  it  to  the  station,  while  his  grate- 
ful niece  trotted  on  behind.  They  reached  the  station 
in  good  time,  and  the  future  President  of  the  United 
States,  happy  in  the  knowledge  that  he  had  relieved 
the  distress  of  a  child,  put  her  on  the  train,  kissed  her 
good-by,  and  told  her  to  have  a  good  time. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  incidents  connected 
with  the  life  of  Lincoln  occurred  in  his  first  campaign 
for  the  Presidency  in  1860,  and  centered  about  a  little 
girl  who  had  never  seen  him,  but  who  was  so  deeply 
interested  in  his  success  that  she  wrote  him  a  letter. 
This  letter  contained  no  reference  to  any  of  the  issues 
of  the  campaign.  It  was  written  with  the  purpose  of 
telling  him  how  she  thought  he  could  improve  his  per- 
sonal appearance. 

Descriptions  of  how  this  historic  letter  came  to  be 
sent  have  been  given  at  different  times  by  its  writer. 
Perhaps  the  most  complete  of  these  descriptions  is  con- 
tained in  her  letter,  dated  April  3,  1905,  and  exhibited 
in  the  museum  connected  with  the  Lincoln  monument 
at  Springfield.  Permission  to  quote  this  letter  has 
been  generously  granted  by  Mr.  H.  W.  Fay,  the  custo- 
dian of  the  Lincoln  Tomb : 

"I  am  in  receipt  of  your  letter  of  recent  date  asking 
an  'account  of  the  circumstances  leading  up  to  Mr. 
Lincoln's  departure  from  the  clean  shaven  face/  At 
that  time  I  was  a  child  of  less  than  twelve  years  of  age 


118  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

and  was  full  of  interest  in  the  stirring  events  of  the 
day.  Naturally,  my  father  being  a  Republican,  I  was, 
with  him,  a  sincere  admirer  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  listening 
to  the  stories  of  his  early  life,  his  struggles  to  obtain 
an  education — and  deploring  the  poverty  and  priva- 
tion which  had  so  beset  his  youth,  and  deeply  resenting 
the  slurs  cast  upon  him  as  being  ugly  and  uncouth  in 
appearance.  Perhaps  it  had  so  happened  that  I  had 
not  noticed  very  particularly  the  cuts  of  his  face 
which  were  in  the  papers,  for  certainly  a  glance  at  the 
huge  and  gaudy  posters  brought  us  children  by  our 
father  was  rather  disappointing,  and  quick  in  my  de- 
sire to  improve  him,  I  suggested  in  a  letter  that  he 
would  look  better  if  he  would  let  his  whiskers  grow 
and  asked  him  to  let  me  know  if  he  would,  or  if  he  had 
no  time  to  reply,  to  let  his  little  girl  do  so  for  him. 

"I  promised  him  I  would  do  my  best  to  win  over  two 
brothers  who  were  Democrats  to  cast  their  votes  for 
him,  and  to  soften  the  blow  somewhat,  I  told  him  I 
thought  the  rail  fence  around  his  picture  looked  real 
pretty.  Because  of  the  ridicule  which  overwhelmed 
me  I  remember  another  circumstance.  I  confided  to 
an  older  sister  that  I  had  written  to  Mr.  Lincoln  and 
she  questioned  whether  I  had  addressed  him  properly. 
I  said  /  knew  I  had  and  rewrote  the  address,  'Honor- 
able Abraham  Lincoln,  Esquire,' — but  my  mother 
comforted  me  by  saying  in  the  midst  of  the  laughter 
that  the  postmaster  would  be  in  no  doubt  for  whom 
the  letter  was  intended,  and  this  is  the  reply  I  re- 
ceived in  a  few  days,  a  kindly,  simple  letter  from  a 
great-hearted  man  to  a  child : 


LINCOLN'S  SIMPLICITY  119 

"  'Springfield,  Illinois,  October  19,  1860. 
"  'Miss  Grace  Bedell: 
"  'My  dear  little  Miss  : 

"  'Your  very  agreeable  letter  of  the  15th  is  received. 
I  regret  the  necessity  of  saying  I  have  no  daughter.  I 
have  three  sons — one  seventeen,  one  nine,  and  one  seven 
years  of  age.  They,  with  their  mother,  constitute  my 
whole  family.  As  to  the  whiskers,  having  never  worn 
any,  do  you  not  think  people  would  call  it  a  piece  of  silly 
affectation  if  I  were  to  begin  it  now? 

"  'Your  very  sincere  well-wisher, 
"'A.  Lincoln/ 

"When  he  made  the  journey  to  Washington  before 
the  inauguration  he  recalled  the  circumstance  when 
the  train  stopped  at  our  town  (Westfield,  New  York) 
and  called  for  his  little  correspondent,  giving  her  name 
and  the  purport  of  her  letter  to  himself.  I  was  helped 
forward  and  Mr.  Lincoln  stepped  to  the  platform  be- 
side the  track,  shook  my  hand  and  kissed  me,  saying, 
'You  see,  I  let  these  whiskers  grow  for  you,  Grace/  I 
was  so  overcome  with  confusion  that  I  remember  little 
else  excepting  the  twinkle  which  came  into  his  sad  eyes 
as  he  held  my  hand,  and  the  cheers  of  the  assembled 
crowd." 

"Very  truly, 
(Signed)  "Mrs.  Grace  Bedell  Billings/' 

It  is  remarkable  that  a  child  should  write  such  a  let- 
ter to  such  a  man.  It  is  even  more  remarkable  that  such 
a  man  should  reply  to  such  a  letter  from  a  child ;  that 
he  should  so  promptly  carry  out  the  suggestion  which 
her  letter  contained ;  and  that  he  should  so  kindly  re- 
member and  so  cordially  greet  his  "little  correspond- 


120  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

ent"  when  on  his  way  to  assume  his  grave  duties  as 
President  of  the  United  States.  No  action  of  Lincoln's 
life  ever  revealed  more  completely  the  greatness  of  his 
simplicity  than  the  courtesy  shown  to  his  little  friend, 
Grace  Bedell. 

It  is  the  opinion  of  Lord  Charnwood,  to  whom  is 
credited  "the  first  considered  attempt  by  an  English- 
man to  give  a  picture  of  Lincoln,"  that  few  men  can  be 
compared  with  Lincoln  in  his  ability  to  reduce  thought 
to  the  simplest  and  plainest  terms  possible.  All  his 
leading  American  biographers  emphasize  this  same 
remarkable  power  which  was  shown  in  his  treatment 
of  all  the  questions  with  which  he  had  to  deal.  Lin- 
coln's thinking  was  always  characterized  by  simplic- 
ity. "Given  his  clear  perception  of  the  thing  he 
wanted  to  do,"  says  Helen  Nicolay  in  Personal  Traits 
of  Abraham  Lincoln,  "his  direct,  simple  processes  of 
reasoning  would  show  him  a  way  to  do  it."  Abun- 
dant evidence  of  this  can  be  found  in  his  arguments  as 
a  lawyer  in  presenting  a  case  to  the  judge  or  jury,  in 
his  discussion  of  political  issues  in  the  various  cam- 
paigns in  which  he  had  a  prominent  part,  in  his  de- 
bates with  Douglas,  in  his  messages  to  Congress,  and 
in  other  great  state  papers. 

Simplicity  of  thought  always  finds  expression  in 
language  of  simplicity.  In  the  use  of  such  language, 
Lincoln  was  a  master.  He  never  used  words  of  great 
length  whose  meaning  was  not  plain  to  the  common 
people.  "Billy,  don't  shoot  too  high,"  he  once  warned 
his  young  law  partner,  Herndon,  who  had  a  tendency 
to  indulge  in  language  of  a  pretentious  nature — "aim 


LINCOLN'S  SIMPLICITY  121 

lower  and  the  common  people  will  understand  you. 
They  are  the  ones  you  want  to  reach — at  least  they  are 
the  ones  you  ought  to  reach.  The  educated  and  refined 
people  will  understand  you  anyway.  If  you  aim  too 
high,  your  ideas  will  go  over  the  heads  of  the  masses, 
and  only  hit  those  who  need  no  hitting." 

This  advice  Lincoln,  himself,  always  followed.  His 
greatest  thoughts  on  the  most  profound  questions  were 
clothed  in  the  simplest  language,  made  up  in  a  large 
measure  of  words  of  one  syllable,  as  the  following  quo- 
tations, selected  from  a  variety  of  sources,  conclu- 
sively prove: 

"As  a  nation  of  freemen  we  must  live  through  all 
time  or  die  by  suicide." — Address  on  the  Perpetuation 
of  Our  Political  Institutions. 

"Stand  with  anybody  that  stands  right.  Stand  with 
him  while  he  is  right,  and  part  with  him  when  he  goes 
wrong." — Speech  on  the  Missouri  Compromise. 

"But  we  must  not  promise  what  we  ought  not,  lest  we 
be  called  on  to  perform  what  we  cannot." 

"Those  who  deny  freedom  to  others,  deserve  it  not 
for  themselves;  and,  under  the  rule  of  a  just  God,  can- 
not long  retain  it." — Speech  delivered  at  Bloomington, 
Illinois,  May  29,  1856,  commonly  known  as  "The  Lost 
Speech." 

"Let  us  have  faith  that  right  makes  might;  and  in 
that  faith  let  us  to  the  end  dare  to  do  our  duty  as  we 
understand  it." — Cooper  Institute  Speech. 

"But  I  have  said  nothing  but  what  I  am  willing  to 
live  by,  and,  if  it  be  the  pleasure  of  Almighty  God,  to 
die  by." — Address  in  Independence  Hall. 

"Property  is  the  fruit  of  labor;  property  is  desira- 
ble; is  a  positive  good  in  the  world.    That  some  should 


122  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

be  rich  shows  that  others  may  become  rich,  and  hence 
is  just  encouragement  to  industry  and  enterprise.  Let 
not  him  who  is  houseless  pull  down  the  house  of  an- 
other, but  let  him  work  diligently  and  build  one  for 
himself,  thus  by  example  assuring  that  his  own  shall  be 
safe  from  violence  when  built." — Remarks  to  a  Com- 
mittee from  the  Workingmen's  Association  of  New  York. 

"In  regard  to  this  great  book,  I  have  but  to  say  it  is 
the  best  gift  God  has  given  to  man.  All  the  good  Savior 
gave  to  the  world  was  communicated  through  this  book. 
But  for  it  we  could  not  know  right  from  wrong." — 
Remarks  upon  the  presentation  of  a  Bible  by  a  commit- 
tee  of  colored  people  from  Baltimore. 

"Fellow  citizens,  we  cannot  escape  history.  We  of 
this  Congress  and  this  administration  will  be  remem- 
bered in  spite  of  ourselves.  No  personal  significance  or 
insignificance  can  spare  one  or  another  of  us.  The 
fiery  trial  through  which  we  pass  will  light  us  down,  in 
honor  or  dishonor,  to  the  latest  generation.  We  say  we 
are  for  the  Union.  The  world  will  not  forget  that  we 
say  this.  We  know  how  to  save  the  Union.  The  world 
knows  we  do  know  how  to  save  it.  We — even  we  here — 
hold  the  power  and  bear  the  responsibility.  In  giving 
freedom  to  the  slave,  we  assure  freedom  to  the  free — 
honorable  alike  in  what  we  give  and  what  we  preserve. 
We  shall  nobly  save  or  meanly  lose  the  last,  best  hope  of 
earth.  Other  means  may  succeed;  this  could  not  fail. 
The  way  is  plain,  peaceful,  generous,  just —  a  way 
which,  if  followed,  the  world  will  forever  applaud,  and 
God  must  forever  bless." — Appeal  for  Compensated 
Emancipation,  Annual  Message  to  Congress,  December 
1,  1862. 

"The  way  for  a  young  man  to  rise  is  to  improve  him- 
self every  way  he  can,  never  suspecting  that  anybody 
wishes  to  hinder  him." — Letter  to  William  H.  Herndon. 


LINCOLN'S  SIMPLICITY  123 

"In  law,  it  is  good  policy  to  never  plead  what  you 
need  not,  lest  you  oblige  yourself  to  prove  what  you 
cannot." — Letter  to  U.  F.  hinder. 

"Truth  to  speak,  I  do  not  appreciate  this  matter  of 
rank  on  paper  as  you  officers  do.  The  world  will  not 
forget  that  you  fought  the  battle  of  Stone  River,  and 
it  will  never  care  a  fig  whether  you  rank  General  Grant 
on  paper,  or  he  so  ranks  you." — Letter  to  Major-Gen- 
eral Rosecrans. 

The  most  notable  example  in  all  literature  of  the 
expression  of  profound  thought  and  noble,  patriotic 
sentiment  in  the  simplest  language,  is  found  in  Lin- 
coln's Gettysburg  Address.  Attention  has  already  been 
called  to  the  humility  which  characterizes  this  Ad- 
dress. In  another  chapter  will  be  found  the  history  of 
its  preparation  and  delivery.  In  this  remarkable  Ad- 
dress, which  is  known  around  the  world,  and  which 
has  been  translated  into  nearly  all  languages,  there  are 
only  two  hundred  and  sixty-eight  words,  including  the 
articles  "a"  and  "the,"  of  which  number,  one  hundred 
and  ninety-six,  or  seventy-three  per  cent,  are  words  of 
one  syllable. 

And  so  out  of  the  simplicity  in  which  he  was  born 
and  reared  and  from  which  he  never  departed,  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  struggled  to  success  and  constantly  exem- 
plified in  thought,  word,  and  deed,  the  sentiment  ex- 
pressed by  Emerson:  "Nothing  is  more  simple  than 
greatness ;  indeed,  to  be  simple  is  to  be  great." 


CHAPTER  VI 
LINCOLN'S  HUMOR 

HUMOR  played  an  important  part  in  the  life  of 
Abraham  Lincoln.  By  means  of  his  kindly  humor, 
friends  were  made  and  enemies  placated.  It  helped 
him  to  endure  failure  as  well  as  to  win  success.  It  kept 
him  from  taking  himself  too  seriously  and  developed 
in  him  a  generous  attitude  toward  others.  It  enabled 
him  to  see  things  in  their  proper  relations.  It  gave 
him  a  keen  insight  into  human  nature  and  a  sympa- 
thetic understanding  of  the  motives  which  control 
human  actions.  It  revealed  truth  and  exposed  error 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  influence  judges  to  give  opin- 
ions and  juries  to  render  verdicts  in  accordance  with 
right  and  justice,  tempered  with  mercy.  It  harmonized 
discordant  factions  in  Cabinet  and  Congress  and  thus 
helped  to  save  the  Union. 

While  little  is  known  of  Lincoln's  childhood  and 
youth,  there  is  good  reason  to  believe  that  his  humor 
manifested  itself  at  an  early  age  and  that  it  served  to 
brighten  many  a  dull  day  in  his  lonely  life  as  a  boy. 
One  instance  of  his  quaintly  humorous  way  of  helping 
a  friend  in  need  is  related  by  Herndon  and  other  biog- 
raphers. 

The  friend  was  Kate  Roby,  a  little  miss  of  fifteen. 


LINCOLN'S  HUMOR  125 

In  the  spelling  class,  the  word  "defied"  was  pronounced 
as  it  came  her  turn  to  spell.  "Abe  stood  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  room,"  Kate  is  reported  as  saying,  "and 
was  watching  me.  I  began  d-e-f-  and  then  I  stopped, 
hesitating  whether  to  proceed  with  an  T  or  a  'y*' 
Looking  up  I  beheld  Abe,  a  grin  covering  his  face,  and 
pointing  with  his  index  finger  to  his  eye.  I  took  the 
hint,  spelled  the  word  with  an  %9  and  it  went  through 
all  right." 

We  are  reliably  informed  that  "as  a  boy  Lincoln 
loved  a  story  for  the  fun  of  it,"  and  there  is  abundant 
evidence  that  he  cultivated  his  natural  ability  to  tell 
stories  whenever  an  opportunity  presented  itself. 
The  principal  story  book  he  had  a  chance  to  read  was 
Aesop's  Fables,  which  he  devoured  with  intense  inter- 
est, and  which  no  doubt  had  a  large  influence  in  devel- 
oping his  remarkable  power  to  use  an  anecdote  or  an 
illustration  with  such  telling  effect  in  driving  home 
an  argument  before  a  jury  or  in  making  plain  to  his 
neighbors  and  friends  his  views  on  public  questions. 
His  stories  were  usually  taken  from  the  experiences 
of  the  pioneer  life  with  which  he  was  familiar.  As 
he  quaintly  put  it,  he  "did  not  care  to  quarry  among  the 
ancients  for  his  figures."  Whenever  he  was  "re- 
minded" of  something  that  had  happened  "down  in  In- 
diana" or  of  some  experience  in  "Sangamon  County," 
all  who  were  fortunate  enough  to  be  in  his  company 
knew  that  he  was  preparing  the  way  for  a  choice  story 
and  a  good  laugh,  in  which  he  always  heartily  joined. 
In  fact,  it  was  his  own  keen  enjoyment  of  a  story  which 
enabled  him  to  tell  it  with  such  irresistible  effect. 


126  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

In  laughter,  he  found  the  tonic  which  strengthened 
him  to  carry  his  heavy  load  of  responsibility  and  the 
relief  which  made  it  possible  for  him  to  endure  the  sor- 
row which  was  breaking  his  heart.  There  were  some 
who  were  unable  to  understand  how  he  could  ever  in- 
dulge in  levity  in  the  midst  of  all  the  sadness  caused 
by  the  war,  and  who  criticised  him  unkindly  and  cen- 
sured him  severely  for  so  doing.  To  one  such,  he 
sadly  explained:  "If  it  were  not  for  this  occasional 
vent,  I  should  die." 

How  many  of  the  stories  credited  to  Lincoln  were 
ever  told  by  him  cannot  be  accurately  determined. 
Certain  it  is  that  many  of  them  he  never  even  heard. 
From  the  most  reliable  sources  of  information  we 
learn  that  less  than  a  hundred  of  the  so-called  "Lin- 
coln stories"  are  genuine,  and  Lincoln,  himself,  is 
credited  with  the  statement  that  as  near  as  he  could 
reckon,  about  one-sixth  only  of  those  credited  to  him 
were  old  acquaintances,  and  that  he  was  only  "a  retail 
dealer." 

Lincoln's  stories  were  always  short.  They  were  al- 
ways well  told.  But  their  unusual  effect  was  due  to 
the  fact  that  they  were  always  apt.  They  were  told 
not  so  much  for  the  sake  of  the  story  and  the  laughter 
it  provoked  as  for  the  purpose  of  making  plain  some 
important  point  which  he  clearly  saw  and  was  anxious 
that  others  should  see.  It  was  his  way  of  realizing  the 
desire  of  his  childhood,  which  became  the  passion  of  his 
life,  to  have  people  comprehend  his  meaning. 

There  is  a  lingering  impression,  due  in  part  to  state- 
ments made  by  a  few  biographers,  but  more  especially 


LINCOLN'S  HUMOR  127 

to  a  tradition  which  has  been  handed  down  through 
the  years,  that  it  was  Lincoln's  habit,  even  in  ordinary- 
conversation,  to  indulge  in  objectionable  stories  marked 
by  vulgarity  in  both  their  content  and  teaching.  There 
is  good  reason  for  the  belief  that  this  impression  does 
great  injustice  to  his  memory.  This  belief  is  based 
upon  the  evidence  furnished  by  the  most  reliable  wit- 
nesses, who  had  an  intimate  acquaintance  with  his 
daily  life,  and  who  bear  testimony  to  the  fact  that  Lin- 
coln was  a  remarkably  pure-hearted,  clean-minded 
man. 

In  her  Personal  Traits  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  Helen 
Nicolay  refers  to  the  false  impression  that  Lincoln's 
stories  were  "coarse,"  calls  attention  to  one  source  of 
the  impression,  and  most  conclusively  defends  him 
against  the  charge  as  follows: 

"The  life  in  which  he  grew  up,  the  life  of  pioneer 
times,  and  of  the  small  village  communities  which  im- 
mediately followed  it  in  the  Middle  West,  was  poor  in 
culture  and  refinements  of  living,  but  strong  in  racy 
human  nature.  Hence  over-fastidious  people,  who  liked 
'quarrying  among  the  ancients/  found  his  stories 
coarse.  Homely  would  be  a  truer  term,  for  they  were 
never  coarse  in  spirit,  even  when  most  sordid  in  detail. 
Ethically  they  always  pointed  a  clean  moral.  They 
were  of  the  soil — strongly  of  the  soil — but  never  of 
the  charnel-house." 

Frank  B.  Carpenter,  the  artist  who  painted  the  his- 
toric picture — The  Emancipation  Proclamation — 
literally  lived  with  President  Lincoln  for  six  months. 
In  his  Six  Months  at  the  White  House,  he  refers  to 


128       •  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

the  report  that  Lincoln  sometimes  indulged  in  stories 
of  a  questionable  nature,  and  says: 

"Mr.  Lincoln,  I  am  convinced,  has  been  greatly 
wronged  in  this  respect.  Every  foul-mouthed  man  in 
the  country  gave  currency  to  the  slime  and  filth  of  his 
own  imagination  by  attributing  it  to  the  President.  It 
is  but  simple  justice  to  his  memory  that  I  should  state 
that  during  the  entire  period  of  my  stay  in  Washing- 
ton, after  witnessing  his  intercourse  with  nearly  all 
classes  of  men,  embracing  governors,  senators,  mem- 
bers of  Congress,  officers  of  the  army,  and  intimate 
friends,  I  can  not  recollect  to  have  heard  him  relate  a 
circumstance  to  any  one  of  them,  which  would  have 
been  out  of  place  uttered  in  a  ladies'  drawing-room. 
And  this  testimony  is  not  unsupported  by  that  of 
others,  well  entitled  to  consideration.  Dr.  Stone,  his 
family  physician,  came  in  one  day  to  see  my  studies. 
Sitting  in  front  of  that  of  the  President, — with  whom 
he  did  not  sympathize  politically — he  remarked  with 
much  feeling,  'It  is  the  province  of  a  physician  to 
probe  deeply  the  interior  lives  of  men,  and  I  affirm  that 
Mr.  Lincoln  is  the  purest  hearted  man  with  whom  I 
ever  came  in  contact/  " 

It  is  time  that  the  libel  on  Lincoln's  memory  that  he 
was  coarse  and  vulgar  in  either  thought,  word,  or 
deed,  along  with  those  that  he  was  not  of  legitimate 
birth  and  that  he  was  an  infidel  and  atheist,  should  re- 
ceive the  denunciation  which  the  truth  demands. 

A  few  of  the  well-authenticated  "Lincoln  stories" 
will  serve  to  illustrate  both  his  humor  and  the  aptness 
which  always  characterized  his  use  of  the  story. 


LINCOLN'S    HUMOR  129 

Two  men  had  a  fight.  One  of  them  started  the  row 
by  using  abusive  language  and  by  making  a  bodily  at- 
tack upon  the  other.  He  vigorously  defended  himself 
and  completely  worsted  his  assailant.  A  lawsuit  re- 
sulted in  which  the  first  charged  the  second  with  as- 
sault and  battery.  Lincoln  defended  the  man  so 
charged  and  in  addressing  the  jury  was  "reminded" 
of  the  story  of  a  man  who,  while  walking  peaceably 
along  the  road  with  a  pitchfork  on  his  shoulder,  was 
viciously  attacked  by  a  ferocious  dog  belonging  to  a 
neighbor.  In  using  the  pitchfork  to  defend  himself, 
one  of  the  prongs  stuck  into  the  dog  and  killed  him. 

"What  made  you  kill  my  dog?"  demanded  the  angry 
owner. 

"What  made  him  bite  me?"    asked  the  man. 

"But  why  did  you  not  go  at  him  with  the  other  end 
of  the  pitchfork?"     inquired  the  owner. 

"Why  did  he  not  come  at  me  with  his  other  end?"  re- 
plied the  man. 

It  is  needless  to  add  that  the  jury  greatly  enjoyed  the 
story,  heartily  appreciated  its  aptness,  readily  made 
the  application,  and  soon  brought  in  a  verdict  for  the 
defendant. 

In  another  case  Lincoln  defended  a  client  who  had 
been  sued  by  a  neighbor  for  damages  caused  to  his 
growing  crops  by  hogs  belonging  to  the  defendant. 
There  was  no  question  as  to  the  fact  that  the  crops  had 
been  somewhat  damaged,  but  there  was  conflicting 
testimony  as  to  whether  or  not  the  plaintiff's  fence 
was  such  as  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  law  in 
being  strong  enough  to  keep  out  stock.     In  fact,  the 


130  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

whole  case  hinged  on  the  condition  of  the  fence.  Lin- 
coln did  not  argue  the  case  seriously,  as  the  amount 
of  damages  involved  was  insignificant.  The  humor  of 
the  situation  appealed  to  him  and  "reminded"  him  of 
a  story  he  had  heard  about  "a  fence  that  was  so 
crooked  that,  when  a  hog  went  through  an  opening  in 
it,  invariably  it  came  out  on  the  same  side  from  which 
it  started."  He  then  proceeded  to  describe  in  his  in- 
imitable manner  the  bewildered  look  of  the  hog  after 
an  experience  of  going  through  the  fence  several 
times  and  still  finding  itself  on  the  side  from  which  it 
first  started.  The  jury  joined  in  the  fun,  which  no 
doubt  influenced  them  in  reaching  a  verdict. 

One  of  Lincoln's  opponents  in  a  political  campaign 
refused  to  commit  himself  definitely  upon  any  question. 
He  would  either  dodge  the  issue  entirely,  or  else  dis- 
cuss it  in  such  an  indefinite  or  evasive  manner  as  to 
leave  an  opening  for  escape  should  he  be  cornered  in 
the  future.  His  actions  "reminded"  Lincoln  of  the 
story  of  a  hunter  who  boasted  of  his  ability  as  a  marks- 
man. He  described  how  he  was  able  to  direct  his  aim, 
when  in  danger  of  mistaking  a  calf  for  a  deer,  by  de- 
claring :  "I  shot  at  it  so  as  to  hit  it  if  it  was  a  deer, 
and  to  miss  it  if  it  was  a  calf." 

In  one  of  his  political  speeches,  Lincoln  referred  to 
the  "Free  Soil  Party"  as  representing  but  one  princi- 
ple with  only  one  plank  in  its  platform.  This  "re- 
minded" him  of  the  story  of  a  Yankee  peddler  who  sold 
pantaloons  which  he  highly  recommended  as  being 
"large  enough  for  any  man,  and  small  enough  for  any 
boy." 


LINCOLN'S   HUMOR  131 

When  Simon  Cameron,  who  was  Secretary  of  War 
in  Lincoln's  Cabinet  for  a  short  time,  resigned,  some 
officious  friends  called  on  the  President  to  express 
their  gratification  at  the  resignation  and  to  suggest 
that,  in  their  opinion,  the  best  interests  of  the  coun- 
try required  a  complete  change  in  the  Cabinet,  This 
suggestion  at  once  "reminded"  Lincoln  of  "Joe  Wil- 
son," who  had  a  little  log  cabin  near  where  he  lived  in 
the  early  days.  Being  fond  of  chickens  and  eggs,  "Joe" 
fitted  up  a  poultry  shed  and  proceeded  to  raise  a  fine 
lot  of  choice  fowls.  Being  annoyed  by  repeated  visits 
of  skunks,  which  killed  a  number  of  his  chickens,  he 
loaded  his  old  musket  one  night  and  fired  into  a  group 
of  the  pestiferous  little  animals,  only  one  of  which  was 
killed.  When  asked  why  he  didn't  kill  the  rest,  "Joe" 
replied :  "Blast  it !  Why,  it  was  eleven  weeks  before  I 
got  over  killin'  one." 

One  would  be  over-fastidious  indeed  to  find  any- 
thing coarse  or  vulgar  in  this  story  which  furnished 
a  more  complete  answer  to  the  foolish  suggestion  that 
the  entire  Cabinet  should  be  changed,  than  any  formal 
argument  which  could  have  been  made. 

Lincoln  was  constantly  subjected  to  the  most  severe 
and  unreasonable  criticism.  It  was  his  rule  to  pay  no 
attention  to  such  criticism,  however  unjust  it  might 
be.  When  he  was  certain  that  he  was  right,  the  abuse 
heaped  upon  him  did  not  disturb  him.  On  one  occa- 
sion a  friend  called  to  express  his  righteous  indigna- 
tion at  what  seemed  to  him  an  unusually  unfair  at- 
tack from  men  who  were  quite  prominent  in  public 
affairs.    "It  is  not  worth  fretting  about,"  quietly  re- 


132  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

plied  Lincoln,  who  was  "reminded"  of  an  acquaintance 
who  had  a  young  son  with  an  inquiring  type  of  mind. 
A  microscope  was  given  to  the  boy  to  help  him  in  his 
investigations.  The  lad  examined  everything  within 
reach,  including  some  cheese  which  he  advised  his 
father  not  to  eat,  as  it  was  full  of  "wigglers."  "Let 
'em  wiggle,"  was  the  reply  of  the  father,  as  he  took  a 
larger  bite  of  the  cheese  than  usual,  "I  can  stand  it  if 
they  can." 

All  kinds  of  people  volunteered  to  advise  Lincoln  as 
to  the  conduct  of  the  war*  At  one  time  when  Wash- 
ington was  threatened  by  the  Confederate  forces,  a 
delegation  called  to  suggest  that  a  fleet  of  war  vessels 
be  sent  at  once  to  Charleston,  Mobile,  Savannah, 
and  other  cities  "to  draw  off"  the  army  which  endan- 
gered the  safety  of  the  national  capital.  The  sugges- 
tion "reminded"  Lincoln  of  a  girl  in  New  Salem  who 
was  greatly  troubled  with  "singing  in  her  head." 
Different  physicians  were  consulted  but  no  relief  se- 
cured. Finally  "a  common  sense  sort  of  man"  ad- 
vised that  "a  plaster  of  Psalm  tunes"  be  applied  to  her 
feet  "to  draw  the  singing  down." 

When  a  telegram  was  received  stating  that  firing 
was  heard  in  the  direction  of  Knoxville,  Lincoln  re- 
marked that  he  was  "glad  of  it."  Surprise  was  ex- 
pressed that  he  should  be  "glad"  when  Burnside's 
army  might  be  in  danger.  He  replied  that  it  "re- 
minded" him  of  "Mistress  Sallie  Ward,"  a  one-time 
neighbor,  with  a  large  family.  Whenever  one  of  her 
numerous  progeny  was  heard  crying  in  some  out-of- 
the-way  place,  she  would  exclaim  with  apparent  satis- 


LINCOLN'S  HUMOR  133 

faction — "There's  one  of  my  family  that  isn't  dead 
yet." 

An  old-time  friend  from  New  Salem  is  reported  to 
have  related  how  Lincoln  illustrated  his  doubts  as  to 
who  was  the  loser  when  a  tariff  was  levied  on  imports, 
by  telling  the  story  of  a  man  who  entered  a  grocery 
and  ordered  a  nickel's  worth  of  ginger  snaps.  As  he 
was  about  to  take  them,  he  changed  his  mind  and  or- 
dered a  glass  of  cider  instead.  After  drinking  the 
cider,  he  started  to  leave,  when  the  following  dialogue 
took  place. 

"Say,  Bill,  ain't  you  goin'  to  pay  me  for  the  cider  ?" 

The  customer  replied,  "Didn't  I  give  you  the  ginger 
snaps  for  it?" 

"Well  then,  pay  me  for  the  ginger  snaps." 

"But,  I  never  ate  your  ginger  snaps,"  was  the 
answer. 

The  puzzled  groceryman  had  to  admit  that  both  re- 
plies were  true,  but  at  the  same  time  he  knew  that  he 
had  lost  something  in  the  deal.  "So  it  is  with  the 
tariff,"  Lincoln  is  reported  to  have  said,  "somebody 
loses,  but  I  do  not  know  as  yet  just  who  it  is." 

Among  the  many  perplexing  questions  which  claimed 
attention  during  the  Civil  War  was  the  one  relating 
to  San  Domingo.  In  his  Message  of  December  6,  1864, 
President  Lincoln  called  attention  to  the  fact  that 
"Civil  war  continues  in  the  Spanish  part  of  San  Do- 
mingo, apparently  without  prospect  of  an  early  close." 

Since  the  slavery  question  was  involved  in  the  war 
on  the  island  as  well  as  in  our  own  war,  there  was  dan- 
ger that  serious  complications  might  arise  with  Spain, 


134  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

which  showed  a  tendency  to  be  more  friendly  to  the 
North  as  the  war  with  the  South  progressed.  How 
to  encourage  this  tendency  and  at  the  same  time  not 
to  offend  the  abolitionists,  who  sympathized  with  the 
negroes  of  San  Domingo  in  their  struggle  for  free- 
dom, was  a  question  which  caused  a  great  deal  of 
anxiety  to  Secretary  Seward.  When  he  brought  the 
matter  before  the  Cabinet  for  consideration,  the  ques- 
tion "reminded"  Lincoln  of  a  negro  preacher  who 
earnestly  reproved  one  of  his  members  for  some  of  his 
sins. 

"Dar  am,"  said  the  preacher,  "only  two  roads  befo' 
you.  Be  careful  which  one  of  dem  you  take.  Narrow 
am  de  way  dat  leads  straight  to  destruction;  but 
broad  am  de  road  dat  leads  direct  to  damnation." 

The  erring  brother  opened  wide  his  big  eyes  and 
exclaimed — "Parson,  you  take  whichever  road  you 
likes  best.  Dis  here  darky  am  gwine  to  take  to  de 
woods !" 

The  President  proceeded  to  make  a  fitting  applica- 
tion of  the  story  by  stating  to  his  Cabinet  that  he  was 
not  willing  to  assume  any  new  trouble  or  responsibil- 
ity at  the  time,  and  that  he  would  avoid  going  to  the 
one  place  with  Spain  or  to  the  other  with  the  negroes, 
by  maintaining  an  honest  and  strict  neutrality. 

Story  telling,  however,  was  not  by  any  means,  the 
only  avenue  through  which  Lincoln's  rare  humor 
found  expression.  His  way  of  putting  things  in  con- 
versation, correspondence,  and  public  address,  was 
often  so  quaint  and  droll  as  to  be  exceedingly  amusing. 
Many  of  his  letters  contain  touches  of  delightful  humor. 


LINCOLN'S  HUMOR  135 

No  one  else  could  have  thought  of  writing  such  a  letter 
as  the  following  to  ask  for  the  renewal  of  a  railroad 
pass: 

"Springfield,  III.,  Feb.  13,  1856. 
"R.  P.  Morgan,  Esq. 

"Dear  Sir  :  Says  Tom  to  John :  'Here's  your  old  rotten 
wheelbarrow.  I've  broke  it,  usin'  on  it.  I  wish  you 
would  mend  it,  'case  I  shall  want  to  borrow  it  this 
arter-noon.' 

"Acting  on  this  as  a  precedent,  I  say,  'Here's  your 
old  chalked  hat.'  I  wish  you  would  take  it  and  send  me 
a  new  one,  'case  I  shall  want  to  use  it  the  first  of 
March. 

"Yours  truly, 

"A.  Lincoln." 

Having  been  requested  by  a  New  York  firm  to  fur- 
nish them  with  information  relative  to  the  financial 
standing  of  one  of  his  neighbors,  he  replied : 

"Yours  of  the  10th  received.  First  of  all,  he  has  a 
wife  and  baby;  together  they  ought  to  be  worth 
$500,000  to  any  man.  Secondly,  he  has  an  office  in 
which  there  is  a  table  worth  $1.50  and  three  chairs 
worth,  say  $1.00.  Last  of  all,  there  is  in  one  corner  a 
large  rat  hole,  which  will  bear  looking  into. 

"Respectfully, 
"A.  Lincoln/' 

While  in  Congress  Lincoln  wrote  to  Herndon,  his 
law  partner,  calling  attention  to  the  losses  sustained 
by  the  Whigs  in  his  district  and  urging  a  more  effective 
organization.    Among  other  things  he  suggested: 

"You  young  men  get  together  and  form  a  'Rough  and 
Ready  Club,'  and  have  regular  meetings  and  speeches. 


136  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Take  in  everybody  you  can  get.  Harrison  Grimsley, 
L.  A.  Enos,  Lee  Kimball,  and  C.  W.  Matheney  will  do  to 
begin  the  thing;  but  as  you  go  along  gather  up  all  the 
shrewd,  wild  boys  about  town,  whether  just  of  age  or  a 
little  under  age, — Chris  Logan,  Reddick  Ridgely,  Lewis 
Zwizler,  and  hundreds  such.  Let  every  one  play  the 
part  he  can  play  best, — some  speak,  some  sing,  and  all 
'holler/  Your  meetings  will  be  of  evenings;  the  older 
men,  and  the  women,  will  go  to  hear  you ;  so  that  it  will 
not  only  contribute  to  the  election  of  'Old  Zach,'  but  will 
be  an  interesting  pastime,  and  improving  to  the  intel- 
lectual faculties  of  all  engaged.    Don't  fail  to  do  this." 

This  furnishes  a  fine  illustration  of  Lincoln's  inti- 
mate  knowledge  of  the  political  situation  at  home  as 
well  as  of  his  political  shrewdness,  organizing  ability, 
and  humor,  which  always  kept  him  human. 

In  his  earlier  speeches  he  sometimes  indulged  in  a 
species  of  rollicking  humor  which  was  in  keeping  with 
the  times  and  most  effective  in  securing  the  desired  re- 
sults. The  following  incidents  will  serve  as  illustra- 
tions : 

George  Forquer,  a  prominent  lawyer,  had  been  a 
Whig,  and  was  accused  with  having  forsaken  that 
party  for  the  appointment  of  Register  of  the  Land 
Office.  His  new  house  was  protected  with  a  lightning 
rod,  then  a  new  device,  and  the  first  one  seen  by  Lin- 
coln. He  attended  a  meeting  addressed  by  Lincoln 
in  one  of  his  campaigns  for  election  to  the  legislature, 
and  asked  to  be  heard.  The  crowd,  anxious  for  some 
fun,  signified  their  wish  that  the  request  be  granted. 
Forquer  assumed  a  haughty  attitude  and  introduced 
his  insulting  remarks  with  the  statement  that  "this 


LINCOLN'S  HUMOR  137 

young  man  would  have  to  be  taken  down."  His  inso- 
lent manner  thoroughly  roused  Lincoln.  He  replied 
to  the  attack  with  a  vigor  which  surprised  all  who 
heard  him,  and  then  turned  his  attention  to  Forquer, 
personally : 

"This  anomalous  Forquer,  if  he  has  taken  me  down, 
as  he  calls  it,  I  reckon  you  know  it,  and  if  he  is  satis- 
fied, I  am.  He  seems  to  be  thoroughly  up  to  political 
tricks — something  I  am  not  familiar  with,  and  I  never 
intend  to  be.  If  I  can't  get  office  honestly,  I  am  content 
to  live  as  I  am,  and  I  hope  I  never  may  be  so  thoroughly 
steeped  in  political  trickery  as  to  change  my  political 
coat  for  a  big  office,  and  then  feel  so  guilty  about  it  as 
to  run  up  a  lightning  rod  to  protect  my  house  from  the 
vengeance  of  an  offended  God." 

In  another  of  Lincoln's  campaigns,  "Dick"  Taylor 
was  one  of  the  Democratic  "orators"  who  opposed  him. 
Taylor  was  a  professional  politician  who,  along  with 
his  brother,  had  held  office  the  greater  part  of  his  life. 
In  one  of  his  speeches  he  made  an  appeal  to  the  prej- 
udices of  the  crowd  by  ridiculing  the  Whigs,  speak- 
ing of  them  as  "bankers  and  toadies  to  the  English" — 
representatives  of  aristocracy.  He  lauded  his  own 
party  as  the  friend  of  the  poor  man,  and  characterized 
by  simplicity  and  honest  purposes.  Taylor,  himself, 
was  a  fop  who  always  wore  a  ruffled  shirt,  blue  coat, 
and  brass  buttons,  oiled  his  hair  with  great  care,  and 
carried  a  gold-headed  cane.  As  he  closed  his  demagog- 
ic appeal,  Lincoln  caught  hold  of  his  vest,  suddenly 
jerked  it  open,  and  thus  exposed  to  the  view  of  the 
jeering  crowd  the  ruffled  shirt,  the  ponderous  watch 
chain  and  other  ornaments  which  had  been  carefully 


138  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

concealed  for  the  occasion.  With  this  striking  object 
lesson  to  attract  the  attention  of  his  hearers,  Lincoln 
proceeded  to  address  them: 

"And  here's  Dick  Taylor  charging  us  with  aristoc- 
racy and  gilt  manners,  and  claiming  to  be  an  exponent 
of  the  farmers  and  cattle-raisers ;  and  while  he's  doing 
this,  he  stands  in  a  hundred-dollar  suit  of  clothes,  in  a 
dancing-master's  pomp  and  parade,  with  a  ruffled  shirt 
just  such  as  his  master,  General  Jackson,  wears,  and  a 
gold  log-chain  around  his  neck  to  keep  his  watch  from 
being  stole  by  some  of  us,  and  with  a  big  gold-headed 
cane.  And  while  he  was  raised  in  this  style,  I  was  a- 
steering  a  flatboat  down  the  river  for  eight  dollars  a 
month ;  with  a  torn  shirt,  one  pair  of  buckskin  breeches, 
and  a  warmus  as  my  only  suit.  The  Bible  says,  'By  their 
fruits  ye  shall  know  them' ;  now  I  have  got  on  my  best 
to-day,  and  Taylor  has  got  on  his  shabbiest.  You  can 
judge  which  one  of  us  is  the  aristocrat  by  our  appear- 
ance." 

In  the  campaign  of  1848,  the  friends  of  Lewis  Cass 
attempted  to  make  political  capital  out  of  his  rather 
obscure  service  on  the  frontier  in  the  War  of  1812. 
Their  actions  amused  Lincoln,  who  made  a  speech  in 
Congress  in  which  he  cleverly  ridiculed  their  efforts 
by  humorously  referring  to  his  own  military  experi- 
ence in  the  Black  Hawk  War : 

"Did  you  know,"  said  he  in  addressing  the  Speaker, 
"I  am  a  military  hero?  Yes,  sir;  in  the  days  of  the 
Black  Hawk  War  I  fought,  bled,  and  came  away.  Speak- 
ing of  General  Cass's  career  reminds  me  of  my  own.  I 
was  not  at  Stillman's  defeat,  but  I  was  about  as  near  it 
as  Cass  was  to  Hull's  surrender;  and,  like  him,  I  saw 
the  place  very  soon  afterward.    It  is  quite  certain  I  did 


Keystone  View  Co. 

LINCOLN  STATUE 

This  statue  of  Lincoln,  at  Hodgenville,  Kentucky,  is  the  work  of  the 

well-known    sculptor   Adolph    Weinman. 


LINCOLN'S  HUMOR  141 

not  break  my  sword,  for  I  had  none  to  break ;  but  I  bent 
a  musket  pretty  badly  on  one  occasion.  If  Cass  broke 
his  sword,  the  idea  is  he  broke  it  in  desperation;  I 
bent  the  musket  by  accident.  If  General  Cass  went  in 
advance  of  me  in  picking  huckleberries,  I  guess  I  sur- 
passed him  in  charges  upon  the  wild  onions.  If  he  saw 
any  live,  fighting  Indians,  it  was  more  than  I  did ;  but  I 
had  a  good  many  bloody  struggles  with  the  mosquitoes, 
and,  although  I  never  fainted  from  the  loss  of  blood,  I 
can  truly  say  I  was  often  very  hungry." 

In  commenting  upon  Lincoln's  campaign  speeches, 
the  Nicolay  and  Hay  Life  observes  that  "he  never 
took  his  campaigning  seriously."  This  was  no  doubt 
true  in  his  early  campaigns  in  which  relatively  unim- 
portant subjects  were  under  discussion.  But  it  is 
important  to  note  that  in  his  later  campaigns  when  the 
issues  involved  grave  moral  and  political  questions, 
such  as  slavery  and  the  preservation  of  the  Union,  he 
was  always  intensely  in  earnest  and  reverently  serious. 

One  will  look  in  vain  in  the  Cooper  Institute  Speech 
for  any  trace  of  the  humor  for  which  Lincoln's  earlier 
speeches  were  noted.  Different  persons  who  heard 
the  Lincoln-Douglas  Debates  have  left  on  record  their 
impression  of  the  seriousness  which  characterized  Lin- 
coln in  that  great  contest.  When  he  was  urged  by  his 
friends  to  put  more  humor  into  the  discussion  and  was 
told  that  the  people  would  be  disappointed  if  he  did 
not,  he  replied  that  he  could  not  do  so,  because  of  the 
seriousness  of  the  question  under  consideration.  In 
fact,  Lincoln's  humor,  which  so  often  manifested  it- 
self in  such  an  inimitable  manner,  never  intruded 
where  seriousness  had  a  right  to  be. 


142  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Lincoln's  keenest  humor  is  found  in  the  observations 
which  often  flashed  from  his  alert  mind  in  the  form  of 
pertinent  remarks  which  so  completely  answered  a 
criticism  or  met  a  condition  under  consideration  as  to 
leave  nothing  to  be  said. 

On  one  occasion  a  prominent  senator  called  on  the 
President  to  urge  the  removal  of  General  Grant.  One 
of  his  remarks  "reminded"  Lincoln  of  a  story,  the 
mere  mention  of  which  threw  the  Senator  into  a  pas- 
sion to  which  he  gave  vent  by  saying : 

"It  is  with  you,  sir,  all  story,  story!  You  are  the 
father  of  every  military  blunder  that  has  been  made 
during  the  war.  You  are  on  your  road  to  hell,  sir,  with 
this  government,  by  your  obstinacy ;  and  you  are  not  a 
mile  off  at  this  minute."  To  this  outburst,  Lincoln 
quietly  replied:  "Senator,  that  is  just  about  the  dis- 
tance from  here  to  the  Capitol,  is  it  not?" 

It  is  related  that  the  Senator  grabbed  up  his  hat  and 
cane  and  indignantly  left  the  White  House,  but  soon 
came  to  his  senses  as  he  realized  the  humor  of  the 
situation,  and  returned  in  a  very  different  frame  of 
mind. 

At  the  opening  of  the  Civil  War,  the  state  of  Mary- 
land protested  against  sending  troops  across  her  ter- 
ritory on  their  way  to  Washington.  A  delegation  com- 
posed of  representatives  of  one  of  the  religious  bodies 
of  Baltimore,  with  a  clergyman  as  their  spokesman, 
called  on  President  Lincoln  to  join  in  the  protest  and 
even  to  propose  that  he  should  "recognize  the  inde- 
pendence of  the  Southern  States."  Lincoln's  patience 
was  sorely  taxed,  but,  as  usual,  he  kept  his  temper. 


LINCOLN'S  HUMOR  143 

His  reply,  which  contained  a  vein  of  humor,  left  no 
doubt  as  to  his  intentions.    He  said  in  part: 

"Your  citizens  attack  troops  sent  to  the  defense  of 
the  Government,  and  the  lives  and  property  in  Wash- 
ington, and  yet  you  would  have  me  break  my  oath  and 
surrender  the  Government  without  a  blow.  There  is  no 
Washington  in  that — no  Jackson  in  that — there  is  no 
manhood  or  honor  in  that.  I  have  no  desire  to  invade  the 
South;  but  I  must  have  troops  to  defend  this  capital. 
Geographically  it  lies  surrounded  by  the  soil  of  Mary- 
land ;  and  mathematically  the  necessity  exists  that  they 
should  come  over  her  territory.  Our  men  are  not  moles, 
and  can't  dig  under  the  earth;  they  are  not  birds,  and 
can't  fly  through  the  air.  There  is  no  way  but  to  march 
across  and  that  they  must  do.  But  in  doing  this,  there 
is  no  need  of  collision.  Keep  your  rowdies  in  Balti- 
more, and  there  will  be  no  bloodshed.  Go  home  and  tell 
your  people  that  if  they  will  not  attack  us,  we  will  not 
attack  them,  but  if  they  do  attack  us,  we  will  return  it, 
and  that  severely." 

One  day,  a  woman  of  haughty  mien  called  upon 
President  Lincoln  and  insolently  demanded  that  her 
son  be  given  a  commission  as  colonel.  She  insisted 
that  he  had  a  right  to  such  recognition  because  her 
grandfather  had  fought  at  Lexington,  her  uncle  had 
shown  unusual  bravery  at  Bladensburg,  her  father 
had  been  in  the  battle  of  New  Orleans,  and  her  hus- 
band had  been  killed  at  Monterey.  After  listening 
patiently  to  this  dramatic  recital  of  family  history, 
he  calmly  and  courteously  replied  that  he  thought  her 
family  had  done  enough  for  the  country  and  that  some 
one  else  should  be  given  a  chance. 

At  another  time  a  self-appointed  delegation  called 


144  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

at  the  White  House  to  criticise  the  Administration  for 
what  they  deemed  its  mistakes  of  omission  and  com- 
mission. As  usual  Lincoln  listened  patiently  and  then 
replied  with  the  use  of  an  illustration  which,  while 
quaintly  humorous  in  the  picture  presented,  com- 
pletely answered  their  complaints: 

"Gentlemen,"  said  he,  "suppose  all  the  property  you 
were  worth  was  in  gold,  and  you  had  put  it  in  the  hands 
of  Blondin  (famous  tight-rope  performer  of  that  time) 
to  carry  across  the  Niagara  River  on  a  rope,  would  you 
shake  the  cable,  or  keep  shouting  out  to  him,  'Blondin, 
stand  up  a  little  straighter — Blondin,  stoop  a  little  more, 
go  a  little  faster — lean  a  little  more  to  the  North, — lean 
a  little  more  to  the  South?  No,  you  would  hold  your 
breath  as  well  as  your  tongue,  and  keep  your  hands  off 
until  he  was  safe  over.  The  Government  are  carrying 
an  immense  weight.  Untold  treasures  are  in  their 
hands.  They  are  doing  the  very  best  they  can.  Don't 
badger  them.  Keep  silence,  and  we'll  get  you  safe 
across." 

One  of  Lincoln's  intimate  friends  wanted  to  visit  a 
brother-in-law,  a  good  Union  man,  who  lived  in  Vir- 
ginia. He  called  on  General  Halleck  for  a  pass  to  go 
outside  the  lines  for  that  purpose  and  was  refused. 
He  appealed  to  Secretary  of  War  Stanton  with  the 
same  result.  He  related  his  experience  to  President 
Lincoln,  who  smilingly  replied :  "I  can  do  nothing  for 
you;  for  you  must  know  that  I  have  very  little  in- 
fluence with  this  administration." 

Lincoln's  patience  was  such  as  to  lead  him  to  listen 
with  courtesy  to  all  sorts  of  recommendations  and 
schemes  for  the  supposed  betterment  of  humanity. 


LINCOLN'S  HUMOR  145 

After  an  attentive  hearing  to  a  tedious  presentation  of 
a  visionary  plan  for  an  "ideal  community,"  he  was 
asked  for  an  expression  of  his  opinion,  and  replied: 
"For  those  who  like  that  sort  of  thing  that  is  the  sort 
of  thing  they  like." 

It  is  not  difficult  to  imagine  the  surprise  which  must 
have  come  to  the  aristocratic  senator  Charles  Sum- 
ner who,  when  in  search  of  President  Lincoln,  was 
told  that  he  was  downstairs,  where  he  found  him 
polishing  his  boots.  But  it  is  difficult  to  realize  the 
shock  which  his  senatorial  dignity  must  have  suffered, 
when  in  response  to  his  protest,  "Why,  Mr.  President, 
do  you  black  your  own  boots?"  he  received  the  laugh- 
ing reply,  "Whose  boots  did  you  think  I  was  blacking?" 

All  Presidents  have  been  subjected  to  great  annoy- 
ance in  making  appointments — none  more  so  than  Lin- 
coln. It  is  difficult  to  realize  in  these  days,  when  civil 
service  laws  have  greatly  reduced  the  number  of  polit- 
ical appointments,  what  he  had  to  endure  from  the 
horde  of  office  seekers  seeking  preferment  from  him. 

Early  in  his  administration  when  he  was  doing  all 
in  his  power  to  avert  the  threatened  Civil  War,  and  was 
constantly  besieged  by  applicants  for  office,  he  re- 
marked that  the  situation  was  not  unlike  that  of  a  man 
who  was  busy  renting  rooms  at  one  end  of  his  house, 
while  the  other  was  in  flames. 

On  another  occasion,  after  the  war  had  begun,  when 
he  appeared  much  depressed,  an  anxious  friend  asked 
whether  the  loss  of  another  battle  was  the  cause. 
"No,"  replied  Lincoln,  "it's  the  post  office  at — ,"  an 
insignificant  hamlet  in  &  western  state. 


146  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

In  such  perplexities,  Lincoln's  humor  usually  came 
to  the  rescue.  A  fine  illustration  of  this  is  found  in 
his  reply  to  a  delegation  of  distinguished  men  who 
called  to  urge  the  appointment  of  a  friend  for  Com- 
missioner to  the  Sandwich  Islands.  With  eloquent 
earnestness  they  argued  that  the  appointment  they 
sought  would  be  of  great  value  not  only  to  the  United 
States,  because  of  the  character  and  ability  of  their 
candidate,  but  also  to  the  man,  himself,  whose  declin- 
ing health  would  be  greatly  benefited  by  the  climate 
of  the  Islands.  "I  am  very  sorry  to  say,"  replied  Lin- 
coln, after  listening  good-humoredly  to  their  presenta- 
tion, "that  there  are  eight  other  candidates  for  the 
place,  all  sicker  than  your  man." 

The  "red  tape"  which  has  always  characterized 
military  procedure  was  a  constant  source  of  disturb- 
ance to  Lincoln,  who  had  little  patience  or  sympathy 
with  the  unnecessary  delay  often  caused  by  official 
formality.  Evidence  of  this,  together  with  another 
illustration  of  his  unfailing  humor,  is  found  in  his  let- 
ter to  Secretary  of  War  Stanton : 

"I  personally  wish  Jacob  Freeze  of  New  Jersey  to 
be  appointed  Colonel  for  a  colored  regiment,  and  this 
regardless  of  whether  he  can  tell  the  exact  shade  of 
Julius  Caesar's  hair." 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Cabinet,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  Chase  was  un- 
sparing in  his  criticism  of  President  Lincoln.  At  dif- 
ferent times,  in  a  fit  of  indignation  because  he  could 
not  have  his  own  way,  or  because  of  some  imaginary 
slight,  he  resigned.     Finally  his  resignation  was  ac- 


LINCOLN'S  HUMOR  .     147 

cepted,  June  30,  1864,  and  he  retired  from  the  Cab- 
inet. He  did  not  hesitate  to  encourage  Lincoln's  out- 
spoken enemies  in  their  attempt  to  defeat  him  for  re- 
nomination,  and  gave  his  approval  to  the  movement  in 
behalf  of  his  own  candidacy. 

A  few  months  after  his  retirement  from  the  Cab- 
inet, Chief-Justice  Taney  of  the  United  States  Su- 
preme Court  died.  The  friends  of  Chase  at  once  be- 
gan to  insist  that  he  should  be  appointed  to  fill  the 
vacancy.  Letters  of  recommendation  poured  in  from 
all  sections  of  the  country.  While  it  is  probable  that 
Lincoln  intended  from  the  first  to  appoint  him,  he 
gave  no  intimation  of  his  intentions  until  the  ap- 
pointment was  made,  remarking  to  his  secretary, — "I 
shall  be  very  'shut  pan'  about  this  matter."  One  day 
his  attention  was  called  to  a  letter  from  Chase  himself. 
"What  is  it  about?"  inquired  the  President.  "Simply 
a  kind  and  friendly  letter,"  answered  the  secretary. 
Without  reading  it,  and  with  exquisite  humor,  rein- 
forced with  a  shrewd  smile,  Lincoln  replied:  "File  it 
with  his  other  recommendations." 

The  "radical  element"  of  Lincoln's  day,  so  far  as 
his  own  party  was  concerned,  consisted  largely  of  the 
men  with  extreme  antislavery  sentiments,  who  were 
determined,  if  possible,  to  defeat  his  renomination. 
Finding  that  this  would  be  impossible,  a  number  of 
"informal  consultations"  were  held,  with  the  result 
that  a  "Mass  Convention  of  the  People"  was  called  to 
meet  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  the  week  before  the  Baltimore 
Convention  at  which  Lincoln  was  renominated.  This 
"Mass  Convention,"  which  was  not  largely  attended, 


148  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

denounced  the  administration  of  Lincoln,  and  nomi- 
nated John  C.  Fremont,  who  later  withdrew  his  name 
from  the  list  of  candidates. 

While  Lincoln's  friends  were  excited  and  indignant 
at  the  whole  proceeding,  he  was  greatly  amused.  When 
he  was  informed  that  the  attendance  at  the  Convention, 
instead  of  numbering  thousands  as  had  been  predicted, 
never  included  more  than  four  hundred  men,  his  sense 
of  humor  at  once  suggested  that  the  second  verse  of 
the  twenty-second  chapter  of  First  Samuel  well  de- 
scribed the  situation.  Acting  upon  the  suggestion,  he 
picked  up  his  Bible,  which  lay  on  his  desk,  and  to  the 
delight  of  all  present,  read : 

"And  every  one  that  was  in  distress,  and  every  one 
that  was  in  debt,  and  every  one  that  was  discontented, 
gathered  themselves  unto  him;  and  he  became  a  cap- 
tain over  them :  and  there  were  with  him  about  four 
hundred  men." 

On  February  3,  1865,  the  historic  Hampton  Roads 
Conference  was  held  on  board  the  River  Queen,  near 
Fort  Monroe,  where  President  Lincoln  and  Secretary 
Seward  met  Messrs.  Stephens,  Hunter,  and  Campbell, 
who  were  delegated  to  represent  the  Southern  Con- 
federacy as  "Peace  Commissioners."  At  this  confer- 
ence, as  at  all  other  places  and  times,  President  Lin- 
coln was  unalterable  in  his  insistence  that  no  proposi- 
tion looking  to  an  armistice  could  be  entertained  until 
it  was  settled  that  the  Union  was  to  be  restored,  and 
that  even  if  the  Confederate  States  would  consider  a 
return  to  the  Union,  he  could  not  enter  into  any  agree- 
ment of  any  kind   with  parties   who   were   in   arms 


LINCOLN'S  HUMOR  149 

against  the  government.  In  reply  to  the  ""^gestion 
of  one  of  the  "Peace  Commissioners"  that  Charles  I 
of  England  had  treated  with  the  people  who  were  in 
arms  against  him,  Lincoln  replied : 

"I  do  not  pretend  to  be  posted  in  history.  On  all 
such  matters  I  will  turn  you  over  to  Seward.  All  I 
distinctly  recollect  about  Charles  I  is  that  he  lost  his 
head." 

No  finer  humor  can  be  found  than  that  which  flowed 
so  freely  from  the  keen  brain  and  kind  heart  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln.  It  furnishes  a  pleasant  and  profitable 
study  which  it  is  well  to  make  in  order  that  justice 
may  be  done  to  his  memory.  Too  often,  however,  the 
impression  has  been  left  by  those  who  have  written  or 
spoken  of  Lincoln's  life  that  he  was  "a  sort  of  end-man 
with  an  itinerant  minstrel  show,"  as  he  travelled  the 
historic  Eighth  Judicial  District  of  Illinois. 

One  of  Lincoln's  most  intimate  friends,  who  travel- 
led with  him  on  that  district,  has  described  how  "he 
would  frequently  lapse  into  reverie  and  remain  lost  in 
thought"  long  after  his  companions  had  gone  to  bed; 
and  how  sometimes  in  the  early  morning  he  would  be 
found  "sitting  before  the  fire,  his  mind  apparently 
concentrated  on  some  subject  and  with  the  saddest  ex- 
pression  ever  seen  in  a  human  being's  eyes." 

"No  one  knows,"  writes  this  friend,  "with  what 
thoughts  Lincoln  was  struggling  in  those  hours,  but 
this  side  of  his  character  has  almost  disappeared  under 
the  mass  of  silly  stories  which  are  coupled  with  his 
name.  One  would  think,  to  read  some  of  the  biogra- 
phies, that  he  never  had  a  serious  moment,  and  that 


150  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

most  of  his  life  on  the  circuit  was  spent  in  retailing 
dubious  stories  to  gaping  circles  of  country-folk  at 
wayside  taverns." 

No  one  will  ever  know  "with  what  thoughts  Lin- 
coln was  struggling  in  those  hours."  It  is  known,  how- 
ever, that  when  the  time  came  to  free  the  slaves  and 
save  the  Union,  he  was  prepared  to  lead  the  way  be- 
cause he  had  thought  his  way  through  the  problems  of 
the  relation  of  slavery  to  the  Union  as  no  one  else  had 
done.  It  was  no  accident,  as  some  would  have  us  be- 
lieve, that  he  was  called  to  leadership  in  the  nation's 
greatest  crisis. 

Perhaps  he  may  have  had,  in  those  long  hours  of 
solemn  reverie  and  serious  thought,  a  vision  of  the 
terrible  responsibility  which  he  was  later  on  to  be 
called  to  assume,  together  with  the  heart-breaking 
sorrow  which  was  to  be  his.  But  when  the  responsi- 
bility and  sorrow  came,  it  was  his  sense  of  humor 
that  helped  him  to  bear  them.  For  it  will  be  recalled 
that  he,  himself,  has  told  us  that  but  for  that  "occa- 
sional vent"  he  would  have  died. 


CHAPTER  VII 
LINCOLN'S  MAGNANIMITY 

AS  humility  was  the  foundation  upon  which  the 
sterling  character  of  Abraham  Lincoln  was  built, 
so  magnanimity  was  the  crowning  virtue  of  his  re- 
markable life.  Like  all  words  of  large  meaning,  mag- 
nanimity is  difficult  to  define.  It  includes  greatness 
of  mind  and  exaltation  of  soul.  It  enables  its  pos- 
sessor to  rise  above  all  that  is  little  and  low.  It  will 
not  stoop  to  revenge.  It  despises  injustice,  hates 
wrong,  and  disdains  meanness.  It  is  calmly  cour- 
ageous in  the  midst  of  danger  and  difficulty.  It  is 
kind  under  all  circumstances  and  remains  patient  even 
in  the  presence  of  insult  and  injury.  It  exercises  self- 
control  when  provoked,  and  is  willing  to  make  per- 
sonal sacrifice  to  attain  a  noble  purpose.  All  these 
characteristics  which  are  included  in  magnanim- 
ity, Lincoln  exemplified  to  an  unusual  degree. 

His  kindness  is  proverbial.  The  sight  of  suffering 
either  in  human  beings  or  in  animals  aroused  his  keen 
sense  of  sympathy  and  led  him  to  do  all  in  his  power 
to  relieve  it.  When  fully  grown,  he  did  not  think  it 
unmanly  to  go  out  of  his  way  to  replace  a  fluttering 
bird  in  the  nest  from  which  it  had  fallen.  When 
serving  as  a  member  of  the  legislature  of  his  state,  on 


152  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

one  of  his  homeward  journeys,  he  did  not  deem  it  un- 
dignified to  retrace  his  steps  and  engage  in  the  menial 
service  of  releasing  an  unfortunate  pig  that  had  been 
caught  under  the  fence,  remarking  that  he  felt  much 
better  after  relieving  its  distress. 

On  the  frontier  where  Lincoln  grew  up,  almost 
every  youth  was  an  excellent  marksman.  Hunting 
was  greatly  enjoyed  as  a  sport  and  was  one  of  the 
chief  means  of  food  supply,  game  of  all  kinds  being 
plentiful.  Because  of  his  unusual  kindness  of  heart, 
Lincoln  differed  in  this  particular  from  all  the  boys 
around  him.  Hunting  was  the  one  sport  in  which  he 
never  took  any  pleasure.  He  could  not  bear  the 
thought  of  killing  or  inflicting  pain. 

It  is  related  that  when  Lincoln  was  once  asked  what 
he  remembered  about  the  war  of  1812  with  England, 
he  replied:  "Only  this:  I  had  been  fishing  one  day 
and  had  caught  a  little  fish,  which  I  was  taking  home. 
I  met  a  soldier  in  the  road,  and  having  always  been 
told  at  home  that  we  must  be  good  to  soldiers,  I  gave 
him  my  fish." 

In  this  simple  childish  act  may  be  found  a  prophecy 
of  the  great-hearted  President's  kindness  to  the  sol- 
diers of  the  Civil  War,  with  whose  hardships  and  trials 
he  sympathized  so  keenly.  This  kindness  often  led  him 
to  interfere  to  save  the  life  of  some  soldier  boy  who 
was  under  sentence  of  death  by  military  authority 
because  of  violation  of  the  military  code.  Numerous 
instances  of  such  interference  are  recorded.  One  re- 
lates to  a  New  England  boy  who  volunteered  to  stand 
guard  for  a  sick  comrade.    Having  gone  without  sleep 


LINCOLN'S  MAGNANIMITY  153 

for  forty-eight  hours,  he  was  so  overcome  with  weari- 
ness that  he  fell  asleep  at  his  post,  which  was  near 
the  enemy.  He  was  tried,  found  guilty,  and  sentenced 
to  be  shot.  President  Lincoln  went  to  the  tent  where 
he  was  kept  under  guard,  awaiting  his  execution  the 
following  day.  In  the  most  kindly  manner,  he  talked 
with  the  boy  about  his  early  life,  and  his  home  and 
mother.  The  lad  quietly  responded  by  taking  his 
mother's  picture  from  his  pocket  and  showing  it  to 
the  President,  who  was  deeply  moved.  Laying  his 
hand  gently  on  the  prisoner's  shoulder,  he  said :  "My 
boy,  you  are  not  going  to  be  shot  to-morrow.  I  be- 
lieve you  when  you  tell  me  you  could  not  keep  awake. 
I  am  going  to  trust  you,  and  send  you  back  to  your  regi- 
ment. Now,  I  want  to  know  what  you  intend  to  pay 
for  all  this?" 

Thinking  only  of  pay  in  money,  all  that  the  poor  boy 
could  reply  was  that  he  did  not  know.  He  sadly  re- 
called the  poverty  of  his  people,  his  own  small  pay, 
and  an  insignificant  sum  in  the  savings  bank.  A  ray 
of  hope  came  with  the  thought  of  the  possibility  of 
borrowing  something  by  mortgaging  the  little  home 
farm  and  of  securing  help  from  his  comrades  in  the 
army.  From  all  these  sources,  he  told  the  President 
that  it  might  be  possible  to  raise  five  or  six  hundred 
dollars,  and  then  pathetically  asked  whether  that  would 
be  enough.  It  is  not  difficult  to  imagine  the  relief 
which  came  to  the  grief-stricken  soldier  in  the  reply  of 
the  President  that  he  was  the  only  man  in  the  world 
who  could  pay  the  bill  by  so  faithfully  and  loyally  serv- 
ing his  country  as  a  soldier  that  when  death  came,  he 


154  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

could  truthfully  say  that  he  had  kept  his  promise  to 
the  President  to  do  his  duty.  With  a  joyful  heart  he 
returned  to  his  regiment  where,  a  few  months  later, 
he  was  killed  in  battle.  The  promise  had  been  kept. 
The  duty  had  been  performed.  The  debt  had  been 
paid. 

While  the  truthfulness  of  this  incident  has  been 
questioned,  it  so  faithfully  portrays  the  characteristic 
magnanimity  of  Lincoln  that  it  is  believed  to  be  worthy 
of  repetition. 

The  war  department  repeatedly  protested  against 
the  President's  leniency  in  dealing  with  soldiers  who 
were  under  sentence  from  a  court-martial,  declaring 
that  the  discipline  of  the  army  was  being  undermined 
and  its  efficiency  destroyed  by  the  numerous  pardons 
granted.  As  a  rule  Lincoln  was  unmoved  by  such  pro- 
tests, sometimes  saying  in  reply  that  he  did  not  think 
shooting  a  soldier  would  do  him  any  good,  anyhow. 
"Military  cowardice"  was  the  technical  phrase  often 
used  in  the  charges  preferred  against  soldiers  whose 
cases  were  referred  to  the  President.  In  filing  them 
for  future  consideration,  he  labeled  them  "Leg  Cases." 
He  fully  sympathized  with  a  soldier  boy  who  became 
frightened  in  battle  and  not  infrequently  was  reminded 
of  the  Irishman  who  declared  that  while  he  had  a  heart 
as  brave  as  ever  beat  in  a  human  bosom,  yet  in  the  pres- 
ence of  danger,  his  cowardly  legs  would  often  run 
away  with  him.  That  Lincoln,  himself,  realized  that 
the  pardons  granted  by  him  were  quite  numerous  is 
indicated  in  his  quaint  remarks  to  Marshal  Lamon, 
who  had  called  to  get  one  signed.    "Lamon,"  said  he, 


LINCOLN'S  MAGNANIMITY  155 

"have  you  ever  heard  how  the  Patagonians  eat  oysters  ? 
They  open  them  and  throw  the  shells  out  of  the  win- 
dow until  the  pile  gets  higher  than  the  house,  and  then 
they  move.  I  feel  to-day  like  commencing  a  new  pile 
of  pardons,  and  I  may  just  as  well  sign  it  just 
here." 

Lincoln's  kindness  of  heart  led  him  to  be  generous 
in  his  treatment  of  foes  as  well  as  of  friends.  On  the 
last  day  he  lived  on  earth  he  talked  with  his  Cabinet 
about  the  magnanimous  plans  for  reconstruction  which 
he  had  in  mind  and  which  he  hoped  would  help  to  re- 
store good  will  between  the  North  and  the  South. 
Referring  to  the  men  who  had  been  responsible  for 
bringing  on  the  war,  he  said  no  one  need  expect  that 
he  "could  take  any  part  in  hanging  or  killing  these 
men,  even  the  worst  of  them."  It  is  significant  that 
his  last  official  act  was  writing  "Let  it  be  done"  on  the 
petition  of  a  Confederate  prisoner  who  wanted  to 
swear  allegiance  to  the  Union. 

Had  he  lived,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  he  would 
have  done  all  in  his  power  "to  bind  up  the  nation's 
wounds,"  literally  "with  malice  toward  none;  with 
charity  for  all." 

"I  am  a  patient  man,  always  willing  to  forgive  on 
the  Christian  terms  of  repentance,  and  also  to  give 
ample  time  for  repentance,"  President  Lincoln  once 
wrote  to  a  man  in  Louisiana  who  had  complained  of  the 
methods  which  were  being  used  to  save  the  govern- 
ment That  he  was  "a  patient  man"  was  constantly 
exemplified  in  his  life.  Certainly  no  human  being  ever 
had  his  patience  more  severely  tested. 


156  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

"His  kindness  and  patience  in  dealing  with  the  gen- 
erals who  did  not  succeed  is  the  wonder  of  all  who 
study, the  history  of  the  Civil  War,"  is  the  expressed 
conviction  of  one  of  his  most  competent  biographers. 
A  most  striking  illustration  of  this  is  found  in  the 
kindness  and  patience  shown  to  General  George  B. 
McClellan  in  return  for  the  most  unkind  and  humiliat- 
ing treatment  to  which  President  Lincoln  was  sub- 
jected during  the  trying  days  of  the  war.  General 
McClellan  had  been  called  to  Washington  after  the 
defeat  at  Bull  Run  and  given  command  of  the  rapidly 
growing  army.  Although  successful  as  an  organizer, 
he  failed  as  a  commander.  This  failure  was  due  in 
part  to  his  insufferable  conceit,  which  led  him  to 
imagine  that  he,  and  he  alone,  had  "become  the  power 
of  the  land,"  to  quote  his  own  words.  All  others,  in- 
cluding General  Scott,  with  whom  he  quarreled,  and 
the  President,  himself,  were  beneath  his  notice  and 
unworthy  of  his  consideration.  An  example  of  the 
contempt  with  which  he  treated  President  Lincoln, 
who  was  doing  all  in  his  power  to  help  him  to  succeed, 
is  given  by  Nicolay  and  Hay: 

"The  friendly  visits  of  the  President  to  army  head- 
quarters were  continued  almost  every  night  until  the 
13th  of  November,  when  an  incident  occurred  which 
virtually  put  an  end  to  them.  On  that  evening  Mr. 
Lincoln  walked  across  the  street  as  usual,  accom- 
panied by  one  of  his  household,  to  the  residence  of  the 
Secretary  of  State,  and  after  a  short  visit  there  both 
of  them  went  to  General  McClellan's  house  on  H 
Street.     They  were  there  told  that  the  General  had 


Courtesy  Chicago  Statuary  Company 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

From    a    statue    by   V.   Vanueci 


LINCOLN  FAMILY  AT   THE   WHITE   HOUSE 
Between  the  President  and  Mrs.  Lincoln  is  Robert,  the  eldest  son. 
youngest  son,   Thomas   ("Tad"),  stands   beside   Lincoln. 


The 


LINCOLN'S  MAGNANIMITY  159 

gone  to  the  wedding  of  an  officer  and  would  soon  re- 
turn. They  waited  nearly  an  hour  in  the  drawing 
room,  when  McClellan  returned  and,  without  paying 
any  special  attention  to  the  orderly  who  told  him  the 
President  was  waiting  to  see  him,  went  upstairs. 
The  President,  thinking  his  name  had  not  been  an- 
nounced, again  sent  a  servant  to  his  room  and  received 
the  answer  that  he  had  gone  to  bed.  Mr.  Lincoln  at- 
tached no  special  importance  to  this  incident,  and,  so 
far  as  we  know,  never  asked  for  an  explanation  nor  re- 
ceived one.  But  it  was  not  unnatural  for  him  to  infer 
that  his  frequent  visits  had  become  irksome  to  the 
General.  There  was  no  cessation  of  their  friendly  re- 
lations, though  after  this  most  of  their  conferences 
were  held  at  the  Executive  Mansion/' 

General  Fremont,  who  had  been  a  candidate  for 
President  in  1856,  was  given  an  important  command 
at  Saint  Louis.  Extremely  radical  in  his  opinions, 
erratic  in  judgment,  rash  in  action,  and  unwilling  to 
take  advice,  he  was  a  constant  source  of  embarrass- 
ment to  the  Administration,  until,  being  unwilling  to 
serve  in  a  position  to  which  he  had  been  appointed,  he 
was  relieved  at  his  own  request.  But  through  all  the 
trying  experiences  resulting  from  the  actions  of  Mc- 
Clellan, Fremont,  and  other  generals,  President  Lin- 
coln's kindness  was  constantly  shown.  His  patience 
never  failed. 

There  were  times  when  the  failure  of  the  military 
authorities  to  follow  up  success  in  battle  and  thereby 
to  secure  the  full  fruits  of  victory,  brought  bitter  dis- 
appointment to  Lincoln  and  most  severely  tested  his 


160  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

patience.  It  was  in  the  midst  of  the  disappointment 
resulting  from  such  failure  after  the  battle  of  Gettys- 
burg, that  he  wrote  to  General  Meade,  who  had  been 
urged  to  pursue  Lee's  Army,  and  who  felt  so  keenly 
the  expressed  dissatisfaction  with  his  failure  to  do  so, 
that  he  asked  to  be  relieved  of  the  command  of  the 
army.  In  the  historic  letter  published  in  the  Nicolay 
and  Hay  Life,  Lincoln  said: 

"I  have  just  seen  your  dispatch  to  General  Halleck 
asking  to  be  relieved  of  your  command  because  of  a 
supposed  censure  of  mine.  I  am  very,  very  grateful  to 
you  for  the  magnificent  success  you  gave  the  cause  of 
the  country  at  Gettysburg;  and  I  am  sorry  now  to  be 
the  author  of  the  slightest  pain  to  you.  But  I  was  in 
such  deep  distress  myself  that  I  could  not  restrain  some 
expression  of  it.  I  have  been  oppressed  nearly  ever 
since  the  battles  at  Gettysburg  by  what  appeared  to  be 
evidences  that  yourself  and  General  Couch  and  General 
Smith  were  not  seeking  a  collision  with  the  enemy,  but 
were  trying  to  get  him  across  the  river  without  another 
battle.  What  these  evidences  were,  if  you  please,  I 
hope  to  tell  you  at  some  time  when  we  shall  both  feel 
better.  The  case,  summarily  stated,  is  this :  You  fought 
and  beat  the  enemy  at  Gettysburg;  and,  of  course,  to 
say  the  least,  his  loss  was  as  great  as  yours.  He  re- 
treated, and  you  did  not,  as  it  seemed  to  me,  pressingly 
pursue  him;  but  a  flood  in  the  river  detained  him  till, 
by  slow  degrees,  you  were  again  upon  him.  You  had  at 
least  twenty  thousand  veteran  troops  directly  with  you, 
and  as  many  more  raw  ones  within  supporting  distance, 
all  in  addition  to  those  who  fought  with  you  at  Gettys- 
burg ;  while  it  was  not  possible  that  he  had  received  a 
single  recruit;  and  yet  you  stood  and  let  the  flood  run 
down,  bridges  be  built,  and  the  enemy  move  away  at 


LINCOLN'S  MAGNANIMITY  161 

his  leisure  without  attacking  him.  And  Couch  and 
Smith — the  latter  left  Carlisle  in  time,  upon  all  ordi- 
nary calculation,  to  have  aided  you  in  the  last  battle  at 
Gettysburg,  but  he  did  not  arrive.  At  the  end  of  more 
than  ten  days,  I  believe,  twelve,  under  constant  urging, 
he  reached  Hagerstown  from  Carlisle,  which  is  not  an 
inch  over  fifty-five  miles,  if  so  much,  and  Couch's  move- 
ment was  very  little  different. 

"Again,  my  dear  General,  I  do  not  believe  you  appre- 
ciate the  magnitude  of  the  misfortune  involved  in  Lee's 
escape.  He  was  within  your  easy  grasp,  and  to  have 
closed  upon  him,  would,  in  connection  with  our  other 
late  successes,  have  ended  the  war.  As  it  is,  the  war 
will  be  prolonged  indefinitely.  If  you  could  not  safely 
attack  Lee  last  Monday,  how  can  you  possibly  do  so 
south  of  the  river,  when  you  can  take  with  you  very 
few  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  force  you  then  had  in 
hand?  It  would  be  unreasonable  to  expect,  and  I  do  not 
expect  (that)  you  can  now  effect  much.  Your  golden 
opportunity  is  gone,  and  I  am  distressed  immeasurably 
because  of  it. 

"I  beg  you  will  not  consider  this  a  prosecution  or 
persecution  of  yourself.  As  you  had  learned  that  I  was 
dissatisfied,  I  have  thought  it  best  to  kindly  tell  you 
why." 

That  he  should  have  written  this  letter  is  not  at  all 
surprising.  The  marvel  is  that  General  Meade  never 
received  it.  Lincoln's  magnanimity — his  greatness 
of  mind,  kindness  of  heart,  and  spirit  of  forgiveness, 
— quickly  overcame  his  momentary  impatience.  The 
unsigned  letter  was  put  in  his  desk  and  never  sent. 

The  night  of  November  6,  1860,  Lincoln  spent  in 
the  Springfield  telegraph  office  upon  special  invitation 
of  the  superintendent.    There  he  read  the  dispatches 


162  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

which  announced  his  election  to  the  Presidency,  to- 
gether with  the  shower  of  congratulatory  messages 
which  poured  in  from  friends  in  all  sections  of  the 
country.  There,  with  a  deep  consciousness  of  the 
mighty  task  and  the  heavy  responsibility  which  his 
election  brought,  he  tells  us  that  he  substantially  com- 
pleted the  framework  of  his  Cabinet.  That  this  frame- 
work was  wisely  constructed,  after  events  most  con- 
clusively proved.  As  the  leading  members  of  his 
Cabinet,  he  selected  two  of  his  prominent  competi- 
tors for  the  nomination  to  the  Presidency,  William  H. 
Seward  of  New  York  for  Secretary  of  State,  and  Sal- 
mon P.  Chase  of  Ohio  for  Secretary  of  the  Treasury. 
Each  had  served  his  state  with  distinction  as  gover- 
nor and  United  States  Senator.  Both  were  recognized 
as  men  of  ability  and  character,  well  qualified  in  all 
respects  to  perform  the  important  duties  to  which 
they  had  been  called. 

It  is  interesting,  even  at  this  day,  to  conjecture 
what  may  have  passed  through  the  minds  of  these 
men,  so  widely  experienced  in  the  affairs  of  state,  as 
they  met  for  the  first  time  in  Cabinet  session  under 
jbhe  new  President  whose  experience  in  public  life  had 
been  confined  to  service  in  his  state  legislature,  and  to 
one  term  in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States.  He 
had  little  personal  knowledge  of  them  and  they,  no 
doubt,  "looked  upon  him  as  a  simple  frontier  lawyer  at 
most,  and  a  rival  to  whom  chance  had  transferred  the 
honor  they  felt  to  be  due  to  themselves."  Under  the 
circumstances,  it  is  not  surprising  that  they  considered 
themselves  superior  to  the  President,  and  were  in- 


LINCOLN'S  MAGNANIMITY  i63 

clined  to  assume  the  role  of  leadership  to  which  his 
position  entitled  him. 

Secretary  Seward  was  the  first  to  manifest  this 
attitude.  During  the  first  month  of  the  new  Admin- 
istration he  was  busy  in  the  performance  of  what  he, 
no  doubt,  deemed  his  legitimate  official  duties.  He 
knew,  perhaps  more  than  any  other  man,  what  had 
transpired  in  Washington  during  the  months  which 
had  intervened  between  Lincoln's  election  and  in- 
auguration and  was  using  his  knowledge,  together 
with  his  powers  of  mediation  and  conciliation,  to  di- 
rect the  affairs  of  state  in  the  midst  of  the  alarming 
conditions  which  existed.  But  the  performance  of  his 
legitimate  duties  did  not  seem  fully  to  satisfy  his  am- 
bition, and  on  April  1,  1860,  he  presented  "Some 
Thoughts  for  the  President's  Consideration"  which 
plainly  indicated  a  doubt  in  his  own  mind  as  to  the 
President's  ability  either  to  formulate  or  to  execute  a 
policy  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  time,  together  with  his 
own  willingness  to  direct  the  affairs  of  the  government. 

This  remarkable  document  opened  with  a  specific 
criticism  of  the  new  Administration — "We  are  at  the 
end  of  a  month's  administration,  and  yet  without  a 
policy,  either  domestic  or  foreign." 

It  contained  equally  specific  recommendations  for 
an  extensive  and  radical  policy  for  the  conduct  of  the 
threatened  war  and  for  the  guidance  of  the  United 
States  in  its  relations  with  foreign  nations,  even  sug- 
gesting a  war  with  France  and  Spain,  under  certain 
conditions.  Following  these  surprising  recommenda- 
tions came  the  astounding  suggestions — 


164  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

"But  whatever  policy  we  adopt,  there  must  be  an 
energetic  prosecution  of  it.  For  this  purpose  it  must 
be  somebody's  business  to  pursue  and  direct  it  inces- 
santly. 

"Either  the  President  must  do  it,  himself,  and  be  all 
the  while  active  in  it,  or 

"Devolve  it  on  some  member  of  his  Cabinet.  Once 
adopted,  debates  on  it  must  end,  and  all  agree  and 
abide. 

"It  is  not  my  especial  province. 

"But  I  neither  seek  to  evade  nor  assume  responsi- 
bility." 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  feelings  of  the  Presi- 
dent when  he  read  "The  Thoughts"  presented  for  his 
consideration  by  the  leading  member  of  his  Cabinet, 
his  perfect  self-control  enabled  him  at  once  to  send  a 
reply,  which  revealed  no  trace  of  impatience  or  indig- 
nation, and  which  conclusively  settled  the  question  in 
dispute. 

Executive  Mansion,  April  1, 1861. 
Hon.  W.  H.  Seward. 

My  dear  Sir  :  Since  parting  with  you  I  have  been  con- 
sidering your  paper  dated  this  day,  and  entitled  "Some 
Thoughts  for  the  President's  Consideration."  The  first 
proposition  in  it  is,  "First,  We  are  at  the  end  of  a 
month's  administration,  and  yet  without  a  policy, 
either  domestic  or  foreign." 

At  the  beginning  of  that  month,  in  the  inaugural,  I 
said:  "The  power  confided  to  me  will  be  used  to  hold, 
occupy,  and  possess  the  property  and  places  belonging 
to  the  government,  and  to  collect  the  duties  and  im- 
posts."   This  had  your  distinct  approval  at  the  time; 


LINCOLN'S  MAGNANIMITY  165 

and,  taken  in  connection  with  the  order  I  immediately 
gave  General  Scott,  directing  him  to  employ  every 
means  in  his  power  to  strengthen  and  hold  the  forts, 
comprises  the  exact  domestic  policy  you  now  urge,  with 
the  single  exception  that  it  does  not  propose  to  abandon 
Fort  Sumter. 

Again,  I  do  not  perceive  how  the  reenforcement  of 
Fort  Sumter  would  be  done  on  a  slavery  or  party  issue, 
while  that  of  Fort  Pickens  would  be  on  a  more  national 
and  patriotic  one. 

The  news  received  yesterday  in  regard  to  St.  Do- 
mingo certainly  brings  a  new  item  within  the  rang6  of 
our  foreign  policy;  but  up  to  that  time  we  have  been 
preparing  circulars  and  instructions  to  ministers  and 
the  like,  all  in  perfect  harmony,  without  even  a  sug- 
gestion that  we  had  no  foreign  policy. 

Upon  your  closing  propositions — that  "whatever  pol- 
icy we  adopt,  there  must  be  an  energetic  prosecution  of 
it. 

"For  this  purpose  it  must  be  somebody's  business  to 
pursue  and  direct  it  incessantly. 

"Either  the  President  must  do  it  himself,  and  be  all 
the  while  active  in  it,  or 

"Devolve  it  on  some  member  of  his  Cabinet.  Once 
adopted,  debates  on  it  must  end,  and  all  agree  and 
abide" — I  remark  that  if  this  must  be  done,  I  must 
do  it.  When  a  general  line  of  policy  is  adopted,  I 
apprehend  there  is  no  danger  of  its  being  changed 
without  good  reason,  or  continuing  to  be  a  subject  of 
unnecessary  debate;  still,  upon  points  arising  in  its 
progress  I  wish,  and  suppose  I  am  entitled  to  have, 
the  advice  of  all  the  Cabinet. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

A.  Lincoln. 

This  remarkable  letter  is  additional  evidence  of  Lin- 
coln's forbearance  and  of  his  ability  to  rise  above  mere 


166  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

personal  considerations  in  his  dealings  with  others. 
Even  more  remarkable  is  the  fact  that,  so  far  as  is 
known,  the  knowledge  of  its  contents  was  confined  to 
the  President  and  Secretary  Seward  and  that  neither 
of  them  ever  alluded  to  it  afterward.  The  President 
put  the  correspondence  away  in  an  envelope  and  it  was 
not  made  public  until  several  years  after  his  death. 
Secretary  Seward  graciously  recognized  the  greatness 
and  magnanimity  of  his  Chief,  became  his  devoted 
friend,  and  loyally  served  at  the  head  of  his  Cabinet 
until  the  end. 

The  unquestioned  ability  and  integrity  of  Secre- 
tary Chase  admirably  fitted  him  to  take  charge  of 
the  nation's  finances  in  the  crucial  days  of  the  Civil 
War,  when  vast  sums  of  money  had  to  be  raised  to  de- 
fray the  expenses  of  the  government.  But  unfortu- 
nately he  possessed  other  characteristics  which  made 
it  almost  impossible  for  him  to  work  in  harmony  with 
other  members  of  the  Cabinet.  He  was  opinionated, 
petulant,  envious,  unsparing  in  his  criticisms  of  his 
associates,  and  always  ready  to  encourage  such  criti- 
cism by  others.  Much  of  this  criticism  related  to  Sec- 
retary Seward,  against  whom  a  strong  feeling  of  hos- 
tility developed  in  the  Senate.  This  feeling  grew  to 
such  an  extent  that,  in  a  caucus  to  consider  the  matter, 
it  was  voted  to  demand  his  dismissal  from  the  Cabinet. 
While  this  rash  action  was  later  on  modified  to  take  the 
form  of  a  request  that  President  Lincoln  should  recon- 
struct his  Cabinet,  the  original  purpose  to  secure  the 
resignation  or  removal  of  Secretary  Seward  remained 
unchanged.     Learning  of  the  action  of  the  caucus, 


LINCOLN'S  MAGNANIMITY  167 

both  the  Secretary  and  his  son,  the  Assistant  Secretary, 
offered  their  resignations  to  the  President,  before  he 
had  been  formally  notified  of  such  action  by  the  com- 
mittee of  the  Senate  appointed  for  that  purpose. 

It  was  in  this  grave  crisis,  which  was  the  cause  of 
great  anxiety  on  the  part  of  President  Lincoln,  and 
which  severely  tested  his  patience  and  forbearance, 
that  his  greatness  of  soul  and  keenness  of  mind  once 
more  came  to  the  rescue,  and  won  a  victory  which  con- 
clusively proved  that  he  was  indeed  a  "master  of  men." 
His  method  of  procedure  in  dealing  with  the  warring 
factions  in  both  his  Cabinet  and  the  Senate  furnishes 
an  interesting  study. 

On  the  day  after  the  Senate  had  determined  to  re- 
quest that  the  Cabinet  be  reconstructed,  a  committee 
called  upon  President  Lincoln  to  present  the  resolutions 
which  had  been  adopted.  In  the  long  conference  which 
followed,  the  different  members  of  the  committee 
voiced  their  opposition  to  Secretary  Seward,  dwelling 
especially  upon  what  they  considered  his  failure  to 
give  cordial  support  to  the  antislavery  measures  of 
the  Administration,  to  the  success  of  which  Secretary 
Chase  was  earnestly  devoted.  The  conference  ad- 
journed to  meet  again  in  the  evening. 

A  meeting  of  the  Cabinet  was  immediately  called 
by  President  Lincoln  who,  with  characteristic  frank- 
ness, related  what  had  taken  place  at  the  conference 
with  the  committee  from  the  Senate,  quaintly  remark- 
ing— "While  they  seemed  to  believe  in  my  honesty, 
they  also  appeared  to  think  that  when  I  had  any  good 
purpose  or  intention  Seward  contrived  to  suck  it  out 


168  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

of  me  unperceived."  After  assuring  the  members  of 
the  Cabinet  that  he  needed  the  services  of  all  of  them 
and  that  he  did  not  desire  the  resignation  of  any  of 
them  he  dismissed  them  with  the  request  that  they 
meet  him  again  in  the  evening.  When  the  committee 
of  the  Senate  and  the  members  of  the  Cabinet,  with 
the  exception  of  Secretary  Seward,  met  the  President 
in  the  evening,  according  to  agreement,  they  were 
greatly  surprised  to  find  that  it  was  to  be  a  joint  meet- 
ing with  such  a  free  and  open  discussion  as  to  make  it 
impossible  for  any  one,  either  in  the  Senate  or  Cabi- 
net, to  claim  in  the  future  that  anything  had  been  con- 
cealed or  misrepresented.  President  Lincoln  took 
charge  of  the  joint  meeting,  stated  the  case  at  issue, 
read  the  resolutions  passed  by  the  Senate,  and  made 
some  characteristic  comments.  In  the  exceptionally 
frank  discussion  which  followed,  the  Cabinet  was 
rather  sharply  criticised  in  general  and  Secretary 
Seward  in  particular.  They  in  turn  defended  them- 
selves and  their  absent  associate  with  vigor  and 
dignity. 

To  Secretary  Chase,  the  discussion  was  exceedingly 
humiliating,  as  he  was  compelled  to  listen  to  criticisms 
of  Secretary  Seward  by  the  members  of  the  committee 
of  the  Senate,  which  were  in  substance  a  repetition  of 
the  expressions  which  he,  himself,  had  often  used  in 
talking  with  the  members  of  the  committee  about  his 
colleague  in  the  Cabinet.  A  most  embarrassing  situa- 
tion confronted  him  in  the  presence  of  both  parties  to 
the  dispute.  He  could  not  join  the  committee  of  the 
Senate  in  their  attack  upon  the  Cabinet  and  the  Ad- 


LINCOLN'S  MAGNANIMITY  169 

ministration  which  they  represented.  His  unkind  and 
unjust  criticism  of  both  President  Lincoln  and  Sec- 
retary Seward,  in  which  he  had  freely  indulged  in  the 
presence  of  the  senators,  made  ineffective  any  de- 
fense which  he  might  offer  in  behalf  of  the  Cabinet 
of  which  he  was  a  member.  Late  at  night,  the  joint 
meeting  closed  "in  a  milder  spirit  than  it  met,"  to 
quote  a  phrase  from  Secretary  Welles.  The  contro- 
versy clearly  revealed  the  weakness  of  Secretary 
Chase,  resulting  from  the  jealous,  envious,  and  de- 
ceitful traits  of  an  otherwise  strong  character,  and 
the  strength  of  President  Lincoln,  who  never  lost  his 
self-control  and  who  constantly  manifested  that  mag- 
nanimity and  spirit  of  fairness  which  enabled  him  to 
decide  every  question  upon  its  merits,  without  refer- 
ence to  the  effect  of  the  decision  upon  his  own  personal 
success  or  welfare. 

Throughout  the  whole  proceeding,  President  Lin- 
coln had  one  definite  purpose  in  mind.  He  wanted 
to  be  in  a  position  where  he  could  refuse  to  accept  the 
resignation  of  Secretary  Seward  without  forfeiting 
the  support  of  the  senators  who  were  insisting  upon 
his  removal  from  the  Cabinet,  and  who  were  friendly 
to  Secretary  Chase.  In  fact,  he  was  anxious  to  retain 
both.  The  realization  of  his  purpose  was  made  possi- 
ble the  morning  after  the  joint  meeting,  when  Secre- 
tary Chase,  with  evident  reluctance,  tendered  his  resig- 
nation, which  was  accepted  with  such  alacrity  and  ap- 
parent gratification  as  to  be  both  surprising  and  dis- 
appointing to  the  Secretary,  who  had  the  habit  of  re- 
signing when  matters  did  not  go  to  his  liking.    With 


170  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

the  resignations  of  both  secretaries  in  his  hands,  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  was  in  complete  control  of  the  situation. 
In  his  own  inimitable  manner,  he  remarked:  "Now  I 
can  ride ;  I  have  got  a  pumpkin  in  each  end  of  my  bag." 
He  at  once  sent  the  following  identical  note  to  Secre- 
tary Seward  and  to  Secretary  Chase : 

"You  have  respectively  tendered  me  your  resignations 
as  Secretary  of  State  and  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  of 
the  United  States.  I  am  apprised  of  the  circumstances 
which  may  render  this  course  personally  desirable  to 
each  of  you;  but  after  most  anxious  consideration  my 
deliberate  judgment  is  that  the  public  interest  does  not 
admit  of  it.  I  therefore  have  to  request  that  you  will 
resume  the  duties  of  your  Departments  respectively." 

Both  acceded  to  the  request  of  the  President.  Sec- 
retary Seward  acted  with  commendable  promptness, 
replying  the  next  morning :  "I  have  cheerfully  resumed 
the  functions  of  this  Department,  in  obedience  to  your 
command."  Secretary  Chase  was  not  so  prompt.  He 
first  wrote  a  brief  letter,  saying,  "My  reflections 
strengthen  my  conviction  that  being  once  honorably 
out  of  the  Cabinet,  no  important  public  interest  now  re- 
quires my  return  to  it.  If  I  yield  this  judgment,  it  will 
be  in  deference  to  apprehensions  which  really  seem  to 
me  unfounded.  I  will  sleep  on  it."  He  could  not  get 
over  the  feeling  of  wounded  pride  which  resulted  from 
his  observation  of  the  gratification  with  which  his  res- 
ignation had  been  accepted.  He  again  wrote  the  Pres- 
ident that  he  did  not  want  him  to  decline  to  accept  his 
resignation,  but  did  not  at  once  send  the  letter.  After 
learning   that    Secretary    Seward   had    resumed    his 


LINCOLN'S  MAGNANIMITY  171 

duties,  he  finally  concluded  that  he  ought  "to  conform 
his  action  to  the  President's  judgment,"  and  returned 
to  his  post,  with  an  expressed  readiness  to  retire  any- 
time, if  the  President  felt  that  such  retirement  would 
promote  the  success  of  the  Administration. 

"The  untrained  diplomatist  of  Illinois,"  declare 
Nicolay  and  Hay,  "had  thus  met  and  conjured  away, 
with  unsurpassed  courage  and  skill,  one  of  the  severest 
crises  that  ever  threatened  the  integrity  of  his  Admin- 
istration. He  had  to  meet  it  absolutely  unaided ;  from 
the  nature  of  the  case  he  could  take  no  advice  from 
those  who  were  nearest  him  in  the  Government.  By 
his  bold  and  original  expedient  of  confronting  the 
senators  with  the  Cabinet,  and  having  them  discuss 
their  mutual  misunderstandings  under  his  own  eye, 
he  cleared  up  many  dangerous  misconceptions,  and  as 
usually  happens  when  both  parties  are  men  of  intelli- 
gence and  good  will,  brought  about  a  friendlier  and 
more  considerate  feeling  between  his  Government  and 
the  Republican  leaders  than  had  ever  before  existed. 
By  placing  Mr.  Chase  in  such  an  attitude  that  his  res- 
ignation became  necessary  to  his  own  sense  of  dignity 
Lincoln  made  himself  master  of  the  situation;  by 
treating  the  resignations  and  the  return  to  the  Cabinet 
of  both  ministers  as  one  and  the  same  transactions,  he 
saved  for  the  nation  the  invaluable  services  of  both, 
and  preserved  his  own  position  of  entire  impartiality 
between  the  two  wings  of  the  Union  party." 

Lincoln's  magnanimity  was  constantly  shown  by 
the  absence  of  all  personal  feeling  when  it  became 
necessary  for  him  to  decide  public   questions   or  to 


172  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

make  important  appointments.  Edwin  M.  Stanton 
did  not  belong  to  his  political  party  and  did  not  vote 
for  him  as  President.  He  had  received  scant  courtesy 
at  Stanton's  hands,  when  they  first  met  in  Cincinnati 
as  associate  counsel  in  the  historic  "Reaper  Case." 
After  Lincoln  became  President,  Stanton  was  unspar- 
ing and  abusive  in  his  criticism,  often  referring  to  him 
and  his  Administration  in  terms  of  contempt.  Not- 
withstanding all  this,  Lincoln  did  not  hesitate  to  in- 
vite him  into  his  official  family  to  fill  the  exceedingly 
important  post  of  Secretary  of  War,  made  vacant  by 
the  resignation  of  Secretary  Cameron. 

Knowing  the  forcefulness  of  Stanton's  great  per- 
sonality, his  firmness,  which  sometimes  developed  into 
obstinacy,  and  his  lack  of  tact  in  dealing  with  others, 
some  of  Lincoln's  friends  were  greatly  alarmed  at 
his  appointment,  warned  the  President  that  nothing 
could  be  done  with  him,  and  predicted  that  he  "would 
run  away  with  the  whole  concern."  To  this  expres- 
sion of  alarm,  Lincoln  is  said  to  have  replied:  "We 
may  have  to  treat  him  as  they  are  sometimes  obliged 
to  treat  a  Methodist  minister  I  know  of  out  West. 
He  gets  wrought  up  to  so  high  a  pitch  of  excitement 
in  his  prayers  and  exhortations,  that  they  are  obliged 
to  put  bricks  into  his  pockets  to  keep  him  down.  We 
may  be  obliged  to  serve  Stanton  in  the  same  way,  but 
I  guess  we'll  let  him  jump  a  while  first." 

It  was  inevitable  that  differences  of  opinion  should 
arise  between  men  who  were  so  unlike  in  their  temper- 
aments as  Lincoln  and  Stanton.  But  the  fact  that 
both  of  them  were  passionately  devoted  to  the  Union 


LINCOLN'S  MAGNANIMITY  173 

and  were  united  in  a  common  purpose  with  the  same 
end  in  view,  usually  made  it  possible  for  them  to  work 
together  in  harmony.  Sometimes  Stanton  lost  his  tem- 
per and  made  unkind  remarks  about  his  Chief,  but 
Lincoln's  inexhaustible  patience  and  never-failing 
good  humor  enabled  him  to  ignore  these  ill-natured 
outbursts  and  to  hold  his  attention  to  the  main  issue. 
Even  when  it  was  reported  to  him  that  Stanton  had 
called  him  a  fool,  he  good-naturedly  replied  that  if 
Stanton  said  that,  he  supposed  it  must  be  true,  for 
Stanton  was  nearly  always  right. 

Stanton  was  given  the  largest  liberty  in  the  conduct 
of  the  affairs  of  his  department  and  had  the  full  con- 
fidence and  the  loyal  support  of  the  President,  who 
frequently  defended  his  Secretary  against  the  bitter 
attacks  which  were  made  upon  him,  sometimes  assum- 
ing personal  responsibility  for  acts  which  were  the  sub- 
ject of  the  criticism. 

There  was,  however,  a  limit  to  Lincoln's  forbearance. 
When  necessary,  he  did  not  hesitate  to  act  with  prompt- 
ness and  with  a  finality  that  once  for  all  settled  an 
important  issue  or  forever  put  an  end  to  unnecessary 
quibbling.  A  most  impressive  illustration  of  this  is 
found  in  the  lecture  which  he  read  to  his  Cabinet  when 
he  was  convinced  that  a  movement  was  on  foot  to  force 
one  of  their  number  to  resign : 

"I  must  myself  be  the  judge  how  long  to  retain  in, 
and  when  to  remove  any  of  you  from  his  position.  It 
would  greatly  pain  me  to  discover  any  of  you  endeavor- 
ing to  procure  another's  removal,  or  in  any  way  to 
prejudice  him  before  the  public.    Such  endeavor  would 


174  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

be  a  wrong  to  me,  and  much  worse,  a  wrong  to  the 
country.  My  wish  is  that  on  this  subject  no  remark  be 
made,  nor  question  asked  by  any  of  you,  here,  or  else- 
where, now,  or  hereafter/' 

But  the  test  of  Lincoln's  patience  and  forbearance 
was  not  by  any  means  confined  to  his  experiences  with 
generals  and  Cabinet  members.  He  had  to  contend 
constantly  with  disturbing  influences  which  were  in 
no  way  officially  connected  with  his  Administration. 
One  of  the  most  annoying  of  these  influences  centered 
in  the  public  press  of  which  the  New  York  Tribune 
was  the  most  influential  representative.  Its  editor, 
Horace  Greeley,  was  a  man  of  unique  character.  His 
ability  was  unquestioned.  His  motives  were,  in  the 
main,  good.  But  his  impulses  sometimes  overpowered 
his  judgment,  and  his  eccentricities  were  so  marked  as 
to  make  it  exceedingly  difficult  to  retain  his  good  will 
and  support  without  surrendering  to  his  dictation, 
which  was  not  infrequently  the  result  of  his  prejudice. 

In  the  months  which  intervened  between  the  election 
and  the  inauguration  of  Lincoln,  when  he  was  passing 
through  the  severe  ordeal  of  witnessing  the  organized 
preparation  to  destroy  the  Union  which  he  was  hop- 
ing and  planning  to  save  when  he  became  President, 
Greeley  was  publishing  editorials  in  which  he  con- 
tended that  if  certain  states  wanted  to  go  out  of  the 
Union,  they  should  be  permitted  to  do  so.  While  this 
"dangerous  and  illogical"  policy  was  in  direct  opposi- 
tion to  Lincoln's  views  and  greatly  increased  the  bur- 
den of  anxiety  which  he  was  carrying,  he  nevertheless 
made  no  reply. 


LINCOLN'S  MAGNANIMITY  175 

Under  date  of  August  20,  1862,  The  Tribune  pub- 
lished an  editorial  entitled  "The  Prayer  of  20,000,000/' 
This  "Open  Letter"  to  President  Lincoln  charged  him 
with  failure  to  execute  the  laws  already  enacted  against 
slavery,  and  of  being  "unduly  influenced  by  the  coun- 
sels, the  representations,  the  menaces  of  certain  fos- 
sil politicians  hailing  from  the  border  slave  States." 
This  unwarranted  attack  came  at  a  most  critical  time 
in  the  progress  of  the  war,  when  the  patient  President 
was  bending  every  energy  to  hold  the  "Border  States" 
in  the  Union,  and  was  awaiting  a  Union  victory  before 
making  public  his  Emancipation  Proclamation,  which 
had  been  prepared  and  submitted  to  his  Cabinet  for 
their  consideration  nearly  a  month  before.  On  August 
22,  he  replied  in  an  "Open  Letter"  which,  while  most 
magnanimous  in  spirit,  was  so  forceful  in  its  logic  as 
to  nullify  the  effects  of  the  false  charges  and  insinua- 
tions made  against  him  and  his  Administration. 

The  summer  of  1864  was  crowded  with  trouble  for 
President  Lincoln.  Constant  criticism  poured  in  upon 
him.  By  some,  he  was  severely  arraigned  for  the  con- 
tinuation of  the  war.  Others  denounced  him  for  using 
all  the  means  at  his  command  to  hasten  the  end.  Not 
a  few  were  for  peace  at  any  price,  and  therefore  ready 
to  give  friendly  consideration  to  any  suggestion  look- 
ing to  that  end.  Prominent  among  them  was  Greeley, 
who  transmitted  to  the  President  a  letter  from  an  ir- 
responsible individual  by  the  name  of  Jewett,  who 
claimed  to  have  authority  for  stating  that  two  ambas- 
sadors representing  the  Southern  Confederacy  were 
in  Canada  with  full  powers  to  negotiate  for  peace. 


176  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

With  this  letter  was  enclosed  one  of  his  own  in  which 
he  declared  that  there  existed  "a  widespread  convic- 
tion that  the  government  and  its  prominent  supporters 
are  not  anxious  for  peace,  and  do  not  improve  prof- 
erred  opportunities  to  achieve  it."  Following  this  un- 
warranted attack,  it  was  urged  that  overtures  for  peace 
be  made. 

While  Lincoln  had  no  faith  in  Jewett's  proposal,  he 
promptly  proceeded  to  act  upon  Greeley's  urgent  re- 
quest that  it  be  given  consideration,  by  replying  to 
his  letter  under  date  of  July  9,  1864 : 

"If  you  can  find  any  person,  anywhere,  professing  to 
have  any  proposition  of  Jefferson  Davis  in  writing,  for 
peace,  embracing  the  restoration  of  the  Union  and 
abandonment  of  slavery,  whatever  else  it  embraces, 
say  to  him  he  may  come  to  me  with  you ;  and  that  if  he 
really  brings  such  proposition,  he  shall  at  the  least  have 
safe  conduct  with  the  paper  (and  without  publicity,  if 
he  chooses)  to  the  point  where  you  shall  have  met  him. 
The  same  if  there  be  two  or  more  persons." 

This  frank  reply  greatly  embarrassed  Greeley,  as 
it  made  him  responsible  for  carrying  out  his  own  re- 
quest. Instead  of  acting,  he  continued  to  write  letters. 
Finally  the  correspondence  was  ended  by  a  telegram 
from  the  President,  dated  July  15,  1864:  "I  suppose 
you  received  my  letter  of  the  9th.  I  have  just  received 
yours  of  the  13th,  and  am  disappointed  by  it.  I  was 
not  expecting  you  to  send  me  a  letter,  but  to  bring  me 
a  man,  or  men.  Mr.  Hay  goes  to  you  with  my  answer 
to  yours  of  the  13th." 

The  letter  referred  to  bore  the  same  date  as  the 
telegram  and  read : 


LINCOLN'S  MAGNANIMITY  177 

"Yours  of  the  13th  is  just  received,  and  I  am  disap- 
pointed that  you  have  not  already  reached  here  with 
those  commissioners,  if  they  would  consent  to  come  on 
being  shown  my  letter  to  you  of  the  9th  instant.  Show 
that  and  this  to  them,  and  if  they  will  come  on  the 
terms  stated  in  the  former,  bring  them.  I  not  only  in- 
tend a  sincere  effort  for  peace,  but  I  intend  that  you 
shall  be  a  personal  witness  that  it  is  made." 

No  longer  able  to  evade  responsibility,  Greeley  re- 
luctantly went  to  Niagara,  where  he  learned  that  the 
alleged  commissioners  were  without  authority  to  act 
and  that  their  whole  purpose  was  to  deceive  the  people 
of  the  United  States  into  thinking  that  President  Lin- 
coln had  refused  to  consider  an  offer  for  peace.  Un- 
willing to  assume  the  blame  for  his  own  failure,  his 
only  defense  was  implied  censure  of  the  President,  in- 
dicated by  his  persistence  in  insisting  that  he  was  de- 
termined to  refuse  all  offers  of  peace. 

Lincoln's  opportunity  for  complete  vindication  came 
with  a  request  that  he  permit  the  publication  of  the 
entire  correspondence.  To  this  request  he  readily 
acceded,  with  the  one  condition  that  a  few  passages 
from  the  Greeley  letters  be  omitted,  since  he  felt 
that  their  publication  would  have  an  injurious  effect 
upon  the  Union  cause  because  of  the  gloomy  aspect 
which  they  disclosed.  With  characteristic  obstinacy, 
Greeley  insisted  that  his  letters,  if  published  at  all, 
must  be  printed  entire,  and  even  declined  the  cordial 
invitation  of  the  President — "Please  come  over  and 
see  me."  The  final  outcome  was  that  Lincoln  dropped 
the  matter  and  silently  submitted  to  the  continued 
misrepresentations  which  resulted.    Not  until  after  his 


178  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

death  were  all  the  facts  made  known  by  the  publica- 
tion of  the  entire  correspondence. 

In  this  whole  proceeding  is  found  another  striking 
illustration  of  the  magnanimity  of  the  great  President, 
who  was  ever  ready  to  sacrifice  himself,  if  he  could 
thereby  advance  the  cause  to  which  his  life  was  dedi- 
cated. 

In  fact,  it  was  Lincoln's  magnanimity,  so  constantly 
manifested  in  all  the  varied  relations  of  his  eventful 
life,  that  enabled  him  to  evince  that  unlimited  patience 
— to  exercise  that  remarkable  self-control,  which  was 
the  secret  of  his  control  of  all  the  turbulent  factors 
with  which  he  had  constantly  to  contend.  It  was  his 
magnanimity  which  made  possible  the  realization  of 
both  his  "oft-expressed  personal  wish  that  all  men 
everywhere  could  be  f ree"  and  also  of  his  exalted  pur- 
pose that  "this  nation  under  God  shall  have  a  new 
birth  of  freedom ;  and  that  government  of  the  people, 
by  the  people,  for  the  people  shall  not  perish  from  the 
earth." 


CHAPTER  VIII 
LINCOLN'S  EDUCATION 

<<TjlDUCATION  defective"  is  the  second  item  of 

-E-J  information  contained  in  the  brief  reply  of 
Abraham  Lincoln,  in  June,  1858,  to  the  request  of  the 
compiler  of  the  Dictionary  of  Congress  that  he  fur- 
nish a  sketch  of  his  life. 

If  defective  education  is  a  necessary  result  of  ex- 
tremely limited  opportunities  for  going  to  school, 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  Lincoln's  education  was, 
indeed,  defective.  How  limited  his  opportunities  were 
for  securing  formal  schooling,  we  learn  from  his  own 
statements. 

In  1859,  his  friend,  Jesse  W.  Fell,  requested  him  to 
prepare  a  sketch  of  his  life.  With  this  request  he  com- 
plied. Along  with  the  sketch,  he  sent  a  letter  whose 
opening  sentences  are  most  characteristic: 

"Herewith  is  a  little  sketch,  as  you  requested.  There 
is  not  much  of  it,  for  the  reason,  I  suppose,  that  there 
is  not  much  of  me.  If  anything  be  made  out  of  it,  I 
wish  it  to  be  modest,  and  not  to  go  beyond  the 
material." 

In  this  sketch  he  describes  the  schools  of  Spencer 
County,  Indiana,  where  he  lived  from  the  time  of  the 
removal  of  his  family  from  Kentucky  in  his  eighth 


180  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

year,  until  he  was  twenty-one,  and  comments  upon  his 
lack  of  educational  opportunity: 

"There  were  some  schools,  so  called,  but  no  qualifi- 
cation was  ever  required  of  a  teacher  beyond  'readin,' 
writin'  and  cipherin' '  to  the  rule  of  three.  If  a  strag- 
gler supposed  to  understand  Latin  happened  to  so- 
journ in  the  neighborhood,  he  was  looked  upon  as  a 
wizard.  There  was  absolutely  nothing  to  excite  ambi- 
tion for  education.  Of  course,  when  I  came  of  age  I 
did  not  know  much.  Still,  somehow,  I  could  read, 
write,  and  cipher  to  the  rule  of  three,  but  that  was  all. 
I  have  not  been  to  school  since.  The  little  advance  I 
now  have  upon  this  store  of  education,  I  have  picked 
up  from  time  to  time  under  the  pressure  of  necessity." 

In  1860,  at  the  request  of  another  friend,  he  wrote 
an  autobiography  to  be  used  in  the  preparation  of  a 
biography  for  the  campaign  which  resulted  in  his  nom- 
ination for  the  Presidency.  This  most  interesting  docu- 
ment accurately  describes  the  important  experiences 
of  his  life  from  the  time  of  his  birth  in  1809  up  to  and 
including  the  political  campaign  of  1856,  in  which  he 
had  a  large  part.  It  is  written  in  the  third  person, 
giving  to  the  reader  the  impression  that  some  one  was 
furnishing  information   about  Abraham  Lincoln. 

"Before  leaving  Kentucky,"  we  learn  from  this  Au- 
tobiography, "he  and  his  sister  were  sent,  for  short 
periods,  to  A  B  C  schools,  the  first  kept  by  Zachariah 
Riney,  and  the  second  by  Caleb  Hazel." 

After  recounting  the  incidents  connected  with  the 
removal  of  the  family,  in  1816,  from  Kentucky  to  Spen- 
cer County,  Indiana,  and  relating  some  of  the  experi- 


LINCOLN'S  EDUCATION  181 

ences  of  life  in  the  "unbroken  forest/  'the  Autobiog- 
raphy again  refers  to  his  schooling  as  follows : 

"While  here,  Abraham  went  to  ABC  schools  by  lit- 
tles, kept  successively  by  Andrew  Crawford, — Sweeney, 
and  Azel  W.  Dorsey.  He  does  not  remember  any  other. 
.  .  .  Abraham  now  thinks  that  the  aggregate  of  all 
his  schooling  did  not  amount  to  one  year.  He  was  never 
in  a  college  or  academy  as  a  student,  and  never  inside 
of  a  college  or  academy  building  till  since  he  had  a  law 
license.  What  he  has  in  the  way  of  education  he  has 
picked  up.  After  he  was  twenty-three  and  had  sepa- 
rated from  his  father,  he  studied  English  Grammar — 
imperfectly,  of  course,  but  so  as  to  speak  and  write  as 
well  as  he  now  does.  He  studied  and  nearly  mastered 
the  six  books  of  Euclid  since  he  was  a  member  of  Con- 
gress. He  regrets  his  want  of  education,  and  does  what 
he  can  to  supply  the  want." 

As  a  rule  education  is  obtained  through  the  agency 
of  formal  schooling.  Among  the  exceptions  which 
prove  this  rule,  none  is  more  striking  than  the  one 
furnished  by  Abraham  Lincoln. 

With  only  the  most  limited  opportunities  for  secur- 
ing an  education  in  the  regular  way,  he  nevertheless 
succeeded  in  developing  all  his  powers,  physical,  men- 
tal, and  moral  to  an  unusual  degree.  As  a  result  he 
constantly  exemplified  in  his  life  the  characteristics 
which  are  universally  considered  evidences  of  educa- 
tion. Among  these  the  most  important  is  character. 
Character  is  the  ultimate  purpose  of  all  true  education. 
Character  is  the  supreme  test  of  all  right  education. 
In  his  transparent  character,  Lincoln  literally  fulfilled 
the  requirements  implied  in  the  question  of  one  of  the 


182  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Hebrew  prophets — "What  doth  the  Lord  require  of 
thee,  but  to  do  justly,  and  to  love  mercy,  and  to  walk 
humbly  with  thy  God?"  The  preceding  chapters  fur- 
nish abundant  proof  that  Lincoln  possessed  in  an  un- 
usual degree  all  the  elements  which  enter  into  strength 
and  nobility  of  character. 

Another  evidence  of  education  is  ability  to  concen- 
trate attention  upon  work  to  be  done.  This  ability 
Lincoln  constantly  manifested  in  a  marvelous  man- 
ner. It  is  well  described  and  forcefully  illustrated  in 
Intimate  Character  Sketches  of  Abraham  Lincoln, 
by  Henry  B.  Eankin,  who  knew  Lincoln  with  an  inti- 
macy made  possible  by  over  four  years  of  study  with 
him  in  his  law  office.  In  the  intensely  interesting  chap- 
ter on  "Characteristic  Moods  of  Lincoln,"  we  read: 

"The  first  to  be  mentioned,  and  by  far  the  strongest 
and  most  difficult  to  interpret,  or  even  penetrate, 
while  he  was  under  its  control,  was  his  power  to  con- 
centrate strictly  all  his  mental  faculties  on  the  task  or 
purpose  immediately  before  him.  In  this  mood  he  was 
absolutely  impenetrable  to  anything  else,  or  by  any 
other  person.  He  was  thoroughly  oblivious  to  sur- 
roundings. Every  faculty  of  this  remarkable  man, 
while  in  this  mood,  was  focused  upon  the  fact  or  prob- 
lem before  him,  viewing  it  from  all  angles  and  en- 
deavoring with  the  keenest  logic  and  most  fertile, 
truth-inspired  imagination  to  solve  any  problem  or 
settle  any  question  of  fact  or  duty  which  challenged 
his  attention.  No  person  or  influence  could  distract  or 
hasten  any  of  his  peculiar  mental  processes  at  such 
times. 


LINCOLN'S  EDUCATION  183 

"I  could  cite  numerous  times  and  circumstances  il- 
lustrating this  mood  of  Lincoln  that  came  under  my 
observation  in  Springfield.  Those  who  knew  him 
there,  and  were  afterwards  near  him  in  Washington, 
with  whom  I  have  spoken  of  this  mood,  told  me  that 
this  peculiar  characteristic  became  more  and  more  a 
fixed  habit  under  the  pressure  of  his  Presidential 
duties.  I  will  refer  to  one  instance,  and  that  on  an 
occasion  of  much  historical  importance. 

"During  the  last  weeks  of  his  residence  in  Spring- 
field it  was  difficult  for  him  to  find  any  place  where  he 
could  be  free  from  the  interruption  of  callers.  His 
home,  his  office  in  the  State  House,  or  the  State  Li- 
brary, afforded  him  no  privacy  by  day  or  night.  To 
avoid  this,  Mr.  C.  M.  Smith,  his  brother-in-law,  fitted 
up  a  room  in  the  third  story  over  his  store  for  Lin- 
coln's private  use,  which  could  be  entered  only  through 
the  private  office  of  Mr.  Smith,  in  the  back  part  of  his 
large  storeroom.  This  arrangement  was  known  by  a 
limited  few,  and  he  was  to  be  seen  when  there  only  by 
persons  bringing  a  line  to  Mr.  Smith  by  Herndon.  It 
was  in  that  room  that  he  prepared  his  First  Inaugural 
Address,  and  thither  I  was  sent  twice  by  Herndon  with 
books  and  clippings  which  the  latter,  at  Lincoln's  re- 
quest, had  selected  from  the  State  Library,  the  law 
office,  and  Herndon's  home  library,  for  study  before 
preparing  that  remarkable  state  paper.  On  my  return 
the  last  time,  Herndon  asked  me  if  any  word  was  sent 
back.  I  replied  that  I  had  no  message  and  was  sure 
Lincoln  had  not  seen  me  when  I  came  in  and  placed  the 
packages  on  the  table  before  him,  or  when  I  lsft  the 


184  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

room.  To  this  he  replied  with  a  satisfied  smile: 
'That's  what  I  expected;  he  wishes  nothing  now  so 
much  as  to  be  left  alone/ 

"In  this  mood  lay  his  remarkable  capacity  for  that 
special  study  necessary  during  the  first  months  of  his 
official  duties  as  President,  covering,  as  it  did,  so  many 
new  executive  functions  and  judicial  fields  whose  prob- 
lems he  must  solve  for  himself.  In  the  later  and  more 
momentous  years  this  mood  fitted  him  finally  to  be 
master  of  all  politicians  and  of  most  of  the  military 
men  around  him,  and  the  equal  of  his  best  generals 
in  outlining  the  strategy  of  campaigns  during  the  clos- 
ing years  of  the  Civil  War" 

In  his  Life  of  Lincoln,  Herndon  relates  that  when 
Lincoln  was  ready  to  begin  work  on  his  Inaugural  Ad- 
dress, he  mentioned  the  books  he  wanted  to  consult 
and  that  the  surprisingly  short  list  included  "Henry 
Clay's  Great  Speech  Delivered  in  1850;  Andrew 
Jackson's  proclamation  against  nullification;  and  a 
copy  of  the  Constitution."  In  addition  to  this  list,  "he 
afterward  called  for  Webster's  reply  to  Hayne,  a 
speech  which  he  had  read  when  he  lived  at  New  Salem, 
and  which  he  always  regarded  as  the  grandest  speci- 
men of  American  oratory." 

To  study  this  Inaugural  Address  is  to  be  profoundly 
impressed  with  the  marvelous  insight  into  the  problem 
of  free  government  that  it  reveals;  with  the  perfect 
understanding  that  it  exhibits  of  the  meaning  and 
significance  of  the  fundamental  principles  upon  which 
the  Union  was  founded;  and  with  the  clear  discern- 
ment that  it  shows  of  the  difference  between  the  true 


LINCOLN'S  EDUCATION  185 

and  false  interpretation  of  the  Constitution  as  related 
to  the  alleged  right  of  secession. 

The  preparation  of  this  Address,  with  only  a  few 
books  to  consult,  and  with  no  one  to  help  or  to  advise, 
furnishes  positive  proof  of  Lincoln's  unusual  power  to 
think  and  to  concentrate  his  thought  upon  questions 
of  momentous  importance.  This  power  was  not  by 
any  means  wholly  due  to  native  ability.  Neither  was 
it  acquired  incidentally  or  accidentally.  All  through 
his  life  he  had  schooled  himself  to  think  honestly,  log- 
ically, and  persistently  until  he  reached  a  conclusion 
which,  to  his  mind  was  final,  because  he  believed  that 
it  was  founded  upon  truth  and  justice.  Whatever  the 
task  which  confronted  him,  he  always  made  the  best 
preparation  of  which  he  was  capable. 

Early  in  his  life  he  conceived  the  idea  that  knowl- 
edge is  a  source  of  power,  and  his  hungry  mind  was 
ever  on  the  alert  to  add  to  his  meager  supply.  No 
difficulty  was  too  great  to  overcome,  if  by  overcoming 
it  he  could  learn  something  of  value.  When  a  clerk  in 
Offutt's  store  in  New  Salem,  he  made  up  his  mind  that 
he  would  like  to  study  English  grammar.  The  neces- 
sity of  walking  twelve  miles  to  get  a  copy  of  Kirkham's 
Grammar  to  study  did  not  discourage  him.  In  a  short 
time,  with  a  few  suggestive  helps  from  Mr.  Graham, 
the  local  school-teacher,  he  mastered  its  contents. 
Other  books,  borrowed  from  friends,  were  mastered 
in  the  same  way,  much  of  his  studying  being  done  at 
night  by  means  of  the  light  from  the  burning  shavings 
in  the  historic  "cooper  shop,"  which  is  still  standing 
on  its  original  site  at  New  Salem. 


186  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

His  ability  to  fix  and  hold  his  attention  upon  the  sub- 
ject under  consideration  was  again  clearly  shown  by 
his  mastery,  in  six  weeks,  of  a  treatise  on  surveying,  in 
order  that  he  might  avail  himself  of  an  appointment  as 
deputy  surveyor.  So  intense  and  persistent  was  his 
mental  application  in  gaining  this  mastery,  that  his 
friends  were  greatly  worried  because  of  the  fear  that 
his  strong  body  would  not  endure  the  strain  to  which 
it  was  subjected  by  his  almost  constant  study. 

Further  evidence  of  Lincoln's  education  is  found  in 
his  constant  growth  in  knowledge  and  power.  "He 
grew  according  to  the  need,"  declares  Ralph  Waldo 
Emerson,  in  his  "Remarks  at  the  Funeral  Services  held 
at  Concord,  April  19,  1865";  "his  mind  mastered  the 
problem  of  the  day;  and  as  the  problem  grew,  so  did 
his  comprehension  of  it." 

Many  well  authenticated  incidents  could  be  cited  to 
prove  that  he  did,  indeed,  grow  "according  to  the  need," 
whether  that  need  was  related  to  his  own  development 
or  to  his  direction  of  public  affairs,  civil  or  military. 
It  will  be  recalled  that  in  his  Autobiography  he  directs 
attention  to  his  study  of  Euclid  after  he  served  in 
Congress.  In  his  historic  "Interview"  with  the  Rever- 
end John  P.  Gulliver,  published  in  The  Independent, 
dated  September  1,  1864,  he  explains  what  led  to  this 
study  and  indicates  the  benefit  which  he  derived  from 
it.  In  answer  to  the  questions,  "Did  you  not  have  a 
law  education?"  and  "How  did  you  prepare  for  your 
profession?"    he  replied: 

"Oh,  yes!     I  'read  law',  as  the  phrase  is;  that  is,  I 
became  a  lawyer's  clerk  in  Springfield,  and  copied  tedi- 


LINCOLN'S  EDUCATION  187 

ous  documents,  and  picked  up  what  I  could  of  law  in  the 
intervals  of  other  work.  But  your  question  reminds  me 
of  a  bit  of  education  I  had,  which  I  am  bound  in  honesty 
to  mention.  In  the  course  of  my  law-reading  I  constantly 
came  upon  the  word  demonstrate.  I  thought,  at  first, 
that  I  understood  its  meaning,  but  soon  became  satis- 
fied that  I  did  not.  I  said  to  myself,  What  do  I  do 
when  I  demonstrate  more  than  when  I  reason  or  prove? 
How  does  demonstration  differ  from  any  other  proof?' 
I  consulted  Webster's  Dictionary.  That  told  of  'certain 
proof/  'proof  beyond  the  possibility  of  doubt';  but  I 
could  form  no  idea  what  sort  of  proof  that  was.  I 
thought  a  great  many  things  were  proved  beyond  a  pos- 
sibility of  doub't,  without  recourse  to  any  such  extra- 
ordinary process  of  reasoning  as  I  understood  'dem- 
onstration' to  be.  I  consulted  all  the  dictionaries  and 
books  of  reference  I  could  find,  but  with  no  better  re- 
sults. You  might  as  well  have  defined  blue  to  a  blind 
man.  At  last  I  said,  'Lincoln,  you  can  never  make  a 
lawyer  if  you  do  not  understand  what  demonstrate 
means';  and  I  left  my  situation  in  Springfield,  went 
home  to  my  father's  house,  and  staid  there  till  I  could 
give  any  proposition  in  the  six  books  of  Euclid  at  sight. 
I  then  found  out  what  'demonstrate'  means  and  went 
back  to  my  law  studies." 

In  solving  the  many  difficult  problems  which  pre- 
sented themselves  in  connection  with  the  prosecution 
of  the  Civil  War,  there  were  no  precedents  to  guide,  no 
rules  to  follow,  and  very  little  trustworthy  advice  to 
be  had.  Jealousy  and  envy  were  rife  not  only  among 
the  politicians  but  among  the  military  leaders.  Many 
crises  arose  in  which  Lincoln  had  to  act  entirely  upon 
his  own  judgment  and  to  assume  alone  the  heavy  re- 
sponsibility which  such  action  involved.     One  of  the 


183  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

most  severe  of  these  crises  related  to  General  Grant, 
for  whose  removal  there  was  an  almost  universal  de- 
mand. It  is  said  that  in  Congress  at  that  time  there 
was  only  one  member  of  Lincoln's  party  who  had 
either  the  desire  or  the  courage  openly  to  defend  Grant 
against  the  bitter  attacks  made  upon  him. 

But  Lincoln  had  grown  "according  to  the  need/' 
With  all  the  power  due  to  his  mental  concentration  he 
had  studied  the  difficult  problem  presented  by  the  mili- 
tary situation,  until  he  was  absolutely  certain  as  to 
what  course  he  should  pursue,  and  with  that  courage 
which  always  animated  him  when  he  knew  what  he 
ought  to  do,  he  did  not  hesitate  to  do  it.  He  stood  by 
General  Grant.  The  manner  in  which  he  took  this 
wise  and  brave  stand  is  vividly  shown  by  Colonel  A. 
K.  McClure  in  his  Lincoln  and  Men  of  War  Times. 

"I  did  not  know  Grant,"  said  he,  "at  that  time ;  had 
neither  partiality  nor  prejudice  to  influence  my  judg- 
ment, nor  had  I  any  favorite  general  who  might  be 
benefited  by  Grant's  overthrow,  but  I  shared  the  almost 
universal  conviction  of  the  President's  friends  that  he 
could  not  sustain  himself  if  he  attempted  to  sustain 
Grant  by  continuing  him  in  command.  Looking  solely 
to  the  interests  of  Lincoln,  feeling  that  the  tide  of 
popular  resentment  was  so  overwhelming  against 
Grant  that  Lincoln  must  yield  to  it,  I  had  repeated  con- 
ferences with  some  of  his  closest  friends,  including 
Swett  and  Lamon,  all  of  whom  agreed  that  Grant 
must  be  removed  from  his  command,  and  complained 
of  Lincoln  for  his  manifest  injustice  to  himself  by  his 
failure  to  act  promptly  in  Grant's  removal.    So  much 


LINCOLN'S  EDUCATION  189 

was  I  impressed  with  the  importance  of  prompt  action 
on  the  part  of  the  President,  after  spending  a  day  and 
evening  in  Washington,  that  I  called  on  Lincoln  at 
eleven  o'clock  at  night  and  sat  with  him  alone  until 
after  one  o'clock  in  the  morning.  He  was,  as  usual, 
worn  out  with  the  day's  exacting  duties,  but  he  did 
not  permit  me  to  depart  until  the  Grant  matter  had 
been  gone  over  and  many  other  things  relating  to  the 
war  that  he  wished  to  discuss.  I  pressed  upon  him 
with  all  the  earnestness  I  could  command  the  imme- 
diate removal  of  Grant  as  an  imperious  necessity  to 
sustain  himself.  As  was  his  custom,  he  said  but  little, 
only  enough  to  make  me  continue  the  discussion  until 
it  was  exhausted.  He  sat  before  the  open  fire  in  the  old 
Cabinet  room,  most  of  the  time  with  his  feet  up  on  the 
high  marble  mantel,  and  exhibited  unusual  distress  at 
the  complicated  condition  of  military  affairs.  Nearly 
every  day  brought  some  new  and  perplexing  military 
complication.  He  had  gone  through  a  long  winter  of 
terrible  strain  with  McClellan  and  the  army  of  the 
Potomac;  and  from  the  day  that  Grant  started  on  his 
Southern  expedition  until  the  battle  of  Shiloh  he  had 
had  little  else  than  jarring  and  confusion  among  his 
generals  in  the  West.  He  knew  that  I  had  no  ends  to 
serve  in  urging  Grant's  removal,  beyond  the  single 
desire  to  make  him  be  just  to  himself,  and  he  listened 
patiently. 

"I  appealed  to  Lincoln  for  his  own  sake  to  remove 
Grant  at  once,  and  in  giving  my  reasons  for  it  I  sim- 
ply voiced  the  admittedly  overwhelming  protest  from 
the  loyal  people  of  the  land  against  Grant's  continuance 


190  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

in  command.  I  could  form  no  judgment  during  the 
conversation  as  to  what  effect  my  arguments  had  upon 
him  beyond  the  fact  that  he  was  greatly  distressed  at 
this  new  complication.  When  I  had  said  everything 
that  could  be  said  from  my  standpoint,  we  lapsed  into 
silence.  Lincoln  remained  silent  for  what  seemed  a 
very  long  time.  He  then  gathered  himself  up  in  his 
chair  and  said  in  a  tone  of  earnestness  that  I  shall 
never  forget:  7  can't  spare  this  man;  he  fights.9 
That  was  all  he  said,  but  I  knew  that  it  was  enough, 
and  that  Grant  was  safe  in  Lincoln's  hands  against  his 
countless  hosts  of  enemies.  The  only  man  in  all  the 
nation  who  had  the  power  to  save  Grant  was  Lincoln, 

and  he  had  decided  to  do  it I  knew  enough  of 

Lincoln  to  know  that  his  decision  was  final,  and  I  knew 
enough  of  him  also  to  know  that  he  reasoned  better 
on  the  subject  than  I  did,  and  that  it  would  be  unwise 
to  attempt  to  unsettle  his  determination.  .  .  .  Lin- 
coln was  wiser  than  all  those  around  him,  and  he  not 
only  saved  Grant,  but  he  saved  him  by  such  well-con- 
certed effort  that  he  soon  won  popular  applause  from 
those  who  were  most  violent  in  demanding  Grant's  dis- 
missal." 

No  one  will  ever  know  the  full  history  of  all  the 
long  days  of  ceaseless  toil  and  anxious  care  and  of  the 
night  vigils  through  which  Lincoln  passed  in  order 
that  he  might  grow  in  comprehension  as  his  problems 
grew  in  difficulty.  We  do  know  that  because  of  his 
comprehension  of  both  governmental  and  military  af- 
fairs, his  mind  was  able  to  master  the  problems  of 
each  succeeding  day  and  then  successfully  solve  them. 


LINCOLN'S  EDUCATION  191 

The  power  to  think  is  intimately  related  to  the  power 
to  express  thought  in  simple,  forceful  language.  The 
possession  of  this  power  is  an  evidence  of  education. 
The  lack  of  such  power  is  an  indication  of  the  lack  of 
education.  The  ponderous  style  that  sometimes  char- 
acterizes expression  is  usually  due  to  the  insignificance 
of  the  thoughts  that  are  expressed.  Clear  thinking 
invariably  seeks  expression  in  clear  language.  Just 
as  Lincoln's  thought  was  always  marked  by  clearness 
and  accuracy,  so  his  expression  of  thought  always  con- 
formed to  the  same  standards.  It  is  impossible  to 
misunderstand  his  meaning,  because  his  language, 
which  is  always  the  embodiment  of  simplicity,  states 
exactly  what  his  clear  and  accurate  thinking  prompted 
him  to  say. 

His  unusual  ability  to  use  the  mother  tongue  with 
such  simplicity,  accuracy,  and  precision,  like  his  un- 
usual power  to  think  so  clearly  and  logically,  was  ac- 
quired by  the  most  persistent  self-schooling  combined 
with  the  most  laborious  practice.  The  method  by  which 
he  thus  schooled  himself  is  described  in  the  Gulliver  In- 
terview previously  referred  to.  In  the  opening  para- 
graphs of  this  "Interview/'  Mr.  Gulliver  refers  to  the 
impression  made  upon  him  by  the  speech  which  he  had 
heard  Lincoln  give  the  morning  before  at  Norwich, 
Connecticut,  and  to  his  introduction  to  Lincoln  at  the 
railroad  station,  when  waiting  for  the  train.  After 
boarding  the  train,  they  entered  into  a  conversation  in 
which  Lincoln  was  asked  to  explain  how  he  gained  his 
"unusual  power  of  putting  things,"  the  request  being 
accompanied  with  the  observation  that  "it  must  have 


192  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

been  a  matter  of  education,"  and  the  question,  "What 
has  your  education  been?"  To  this  request  Lincoln 
replied : 

"Well,  as  to  education,  the  newspapers  are  correct — 
I  never  went  to  school  more  than  six  months  in  my  life. 
But,  as  you  say,  this  must  be  a  product  of  culture  in 
some  form.  I  have  been  putting  the  question  you  ask 
me,  to  myself,  while  you  have  been  talking.  I  can  say 
this,  that,  among  my  earliest  recollections,  I  remember 
how,  when  a  mere  child,  I  used  to  get  irritated  when 
anybody  talked  to  me  in  a  way  I  could  not  understand. 
I  don't  think  I  ever  got  angry  at  anything  else  in  my 
life.  But  that  always  disturbed  my  temper,  and  has 
ever  since.  I  can  remember  going  to  my  little  bedroom, 
after  hearing  the  neighbors  talk  of  an  evening  with  my 
father,  and  spending  no  small  part  of  the  night  walk- 
ing up  and  down,  and  trying  to  make  out  what  was  the 
exact  meaning  of  some  of  their,  to  me,  dark  sayings.  I 
could  not  sleep,  though  I  often  tried  to,  when  I  got  on 
such  a  hunt  after  an  idea,  until  I  had  caught  it;  and 
when  I  thought  I  had  got  it,  I  was  not  satisfied  until  I 
had  repeated  it  over  and  over,  until  I  had  put  it  in  lan- 
guage plain  enough,  as  I  thought,  for  any  boy  I  knew 
to  comprehend.  This  was  a  kind  of  passion  with  me, 
and  it  has  stuck  by  me,  for  I  am  never  easy  now  when 
I  am  handling  a  thought  till  I  have  bounded  it  north 
and  bounded  it  south  and  bounded  it  east  and  bounded 
it  west.  Perhaps  that  accounts  for  the  characteristic 
you  observe  in  my  speeches,  though  I  never  put  the  two 
things  together  before." 

In  this  "Interview"  are  revealed  the  secrets  of  Lin- 
coln's remarkable  power  in  the  use  of  language.  In 
the  first  place,  his  desire  to  understand  all  that  he 
heard  was  so  intense  that  failure  to  realize  this  desire 


LINCOLN'S  EDUCATION  193 

made  him  unhappy  and  even  angry.  It  is  interesting 
to  try  to  imagine  his  childhood  struggles  in  his  lonely 
room,  when  on  the  hunt  of  an  idea,  determined  to  think 
out  for  himself  the  hidden  meaning  of  some  conversa- 
tion to  which  he  had  listened.  The  final  step  in  his 
process  of  self-education  consisted  of  the  persistent 
drill  to  which  he  subjected  himself  by  bounding  the 
"caught  idea"  north,  east,  south,  and  west  and  of  call- 
ing to  his  aid  every  illustration  or  anecdote  at  his  com- 
mand which  would  enable  him  to  tell  what  he  had 
learned,  with  so  much  difficulty,  to  the  other  boys  (and 
later  on  to  the  people  of  a  nation)  in  such  simple  lan- 
guage as  would  make  it  perfectly  plain  to  them.  "Elo- 
quent simplicity"  characterized  all  that  Lincoln  said  or 
wrote.  His  use  of  English  well  illustrates  Emerson's 
definition — "Eloquence  is  the  power  to  translate  truth 
into  language  perfectly  intelligible  to  the  person  to 
whom  you  speak." 

Reading  always  has  a  large  influence  for  good  or  ill 
upon  character,  thought,  growth,  and  language.  It  is 
therefore  both  interesting  and  important  to  know 
what  Lincoln  read.  It  was  Herndon's  expressed  be- 
lief that  he  "read  less  and  thought  more  than  any  man 
in  his  sphere  in  America."  This  statement  is  probably 
true.  The  last  half  of  it  is  certainly  true.  Fortunately, 
there  is  a  reasonably  accurate  record  of  what  he  did 
read.  In  his  boyhood  home  one  book  constituted  the 
library.  That  book  was  the  Bible.  Other  books  which 
he  read,  aside  from  possibly  a  few  textbooks  of  the 
most  elementary  character,  were  borrowed  from 
friends  and  neighbors.     It  is  believed  that  the  first 


194  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

book  he  ever  owned  was  the  Life  of  Washington  by- 
Mason  L  Weems,  who  claimed  to  have  been,  at  one 
time,  the  rector  of  Mount  Vernon  parish  and  thereby 
the  spiritual  adviser  of  Washington.  The  purchase  of 
this  book  was  a  matter  of  necessity  rather  than  choice. 
The  story  is  that  it  was  borrowed  from  Josiah  Craw- 
ford, a  close-fisted  farmer  of  the  neighborhood,  by  the 
youthful  Lincoln,  whose  hunger  to  learn  led  him  to 
read  everything  to  be  found  within  walking  distance 
of  his  home.  Having  been  left  in  a  crack  between  two 
logs  in  the  Lincoln  cabin,  the  book  was  seriously  dam- 
aged by  rain.  The  damage  was  assessed  at  seventy- 
five  cents,  which  the  unfortunate  borrower  paid  by 
"pulling  fodder"  for  three  days. 

In  his  later  life,  even  when  he  was  President,  he 
often  referred  to  the  impressions  made  upon  his  mind 
by  reading  this  Life  of  Washington  and  "always  con- 
tended that  it  was  better  for  the  young  men  of  the 
country  to  regard  Washington  in  the  light  of  a  demi- 
god, as  Parson  Weems  describes  him,  than  to  shake 
their  faith  in  the  greatest  hero  of  American  history 
by  narrating  his  mistakes  and  follies  as  if  he  were  a 
common  man."  This  bit  of  philosophy  is  needed 
in  these  modern  times  when  there  seems  to  be  a  ten- 
dency to  hunt  for  every  indication  of  human  weakness 
in  the  great  men  of  the  past,  rather  than  to  dwell  upon 
the  dominant  qualities  of  their  characters,  which  were 
in  the  main  noble  and  true. 

There  is  general  agreement  among  Lincoln's  reli- 
able biographers  that  his  early  reading  was  largely 
confined  to  the  Bible,  Weems's  Life  of  Washiington, 


LINCOLN'S  EDUCATION  195 

Aesop's  Fables,  Robinson  Crusoe,  Bunyan's  Pilgrim's 
Progress,  a  History  of  the  United  States  and  the  Re- 
vised Statutes  of  Indiana,  which  also  contained  a  num- 
ber of  documents  relating  to  the  political  history  of 
the  territory  of  Indiana,  together  with  the  Declaration 
of  Independence  and  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States. 

It  is  definitely  known  that  when  Lincoln  "kept  store" 
at  New  Salem,  he  made  good  use  of  his  leisure  time  in 
reading  all  the  books  he  could  secure.  It  was  then 
that  he  became  interested  in  Burns  and  Shakespeare, 
partly  through  the  influence  of  Jack  Kelso,  a  shiftless 
resident  of  the  community,  who  knew  and  loved  good 
literature  and  who  spent  most  of  his  time  loafing,  fish- 
ing, and  quoting  from  the  books  he  had  read.  The 
taste  thus  acquired  led  Lincoln  to  a  fair  degree  of 
familiarity  with  the  writings  of  a  number  of  English 
and  American  authors.  That  Shakespeare  was  his 
favorite  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  he  often  quoted  or 
read  aloud  from  the  tragedies  and  historical  plays, 
Hamlet,  Macbeth,  and  Richard  II  being  his  favorites. 
Carpenter,  in  his  Six  Months  at  the  White  House, 
quotes  Lincoln  as  remarking — "It  matters  not  to  me, 
whether  Shakespeare  be  well  or  ill  acted ;  with  him  the 
thought  suffices."  He  also  relates  a  number  of  inci- 
dents which  illustrate  Lincoln's  intimate  knowledge  of 
Shakespeare's  plays  and  his  remarkable  interpretation 
of  some  of  their  most  important  passages. 

Lincoln  loved  poems  of  a  sad  and  reminiscent  na- 
ture, such  as  "The  Last  Leaf  by  Oliver  Wendell 
Holmes  and  "Oh,  Why  Should  the  Spirit  of  Mortal  Be 


196  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Proud?"  by  William  Knox.  Referring  to  the  former, 
Henry  C.  Whitney,  his  intimate  friend  and  biographer 
says :  "Over  and  over  again  I  have  heard  him  repeat : 

'The  mossy  marbles  rest 

On  the  lips  that  he  has  prest 
In  their  bloom; 

And  the  names  he  loved  to  hear 

Have  been  carved  for  many  a  year 
On  the  tomb!' 
and  tears  would  come  unbidden  to  his  eyes,  probably 
at  thought  of  the  grave  at  Gentry ville  (his  mother's) 
or  that   in  the  bend   of   the    Sangamon    (Ann   Rut- 
ledge's)." 

It  was  doubtless  to  the  latter  poem  that  reference  is 
made  in  Lincoln's  historic  letter  of  April  18,  1846,  to 
William  Johnston,  with  whom  he  conducted  a  literary 
correspondence  which  has  recently  attracted  a  great 
deal  of  attention,  and  to  whom  he  sent  copies  of  his 
own  poems  written  after  a  visit  to  his  boyhood  home 
at  Gentryville,  Indiana.    In  this  letter  he  says : 

"I  have  not  your  letter  now  before  me;  but,  from 
memory  I  think  you  ask  me  who  is  the  author  of  the 
piece  I  sent  you,  and  that  you  do  so  ask  as  to  indicate  a 
slight  suspicion  that  I  myself  am  the  author.  Beyond 
all  question,  I  am  not  the  author.  I  would  give  all  I  am 
worth,  and  go  in  debt,  to  be  able  to  write  so  fine  a  piece 
as  I  think  that  is.  Neither  do  I  know  who  is  the  au- 
thor. I  met  it  in  a  straggling  form  in  a  newspaper  last 
summer,  and  I  remember  to  have  seen  it  once  before, 
about  fifteen  years  ago,  and  this  is  all  I  know  about  it." 

Lincoln  loved  to  repeat  this  poem  to  his  friends,  and 
to  the  day  of  his  death  it  remained  his  favorite.    The 


LINCOLN'S  EDUCATION  197 

sentiment  which  it  expresses  is  certainly  in  harmony 
with  the  spirit  of  humility  which  characterized  his 
entire  life. 

The  reading  and  study  of  law  had  a  peculiar  fasci- 
nation for  Lincoln  and  exercised  a  most  potent  influ- 
ence on  his  education.  The  foundation  of  truth  and 
justice,  upon  which  law  rests,  appealed  to  his  keen 
sense  of  right,  just  as  the  orderly,  logical  course  of 
legal  procedure  appealed  to  his  reason.  His  introduc- 
tion to  the  study  of  law  and  government  came  before  he 
moved  from  Gentryville,  with  the  loan  of  the  Revised 
Statutes  of  Indiana,  a  volume  which  contained  other 
important  documents  such  as  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  and 
the  Act  for  the  Government  of  the  Northwest  Terri- 
tory, one  article  of  which  provided  that  neither  slavery 
nor  involuntary  servitude  should  exist  except  in  pun- 
ishment for  crime.  From  the  study  of  this  book,  Lin- 
coln undoubtedly  gained  a  comprehensive  knowledge 
of  the  methods  by  which  Indiana  passed  from  a  terri- 
tory to  a  state  and  of  the  character  of  the  laws  which 
had  been  enacted  for  the  government  of  the  state ;  and 
what  was  of  much  greater  importance,  a  true  concep- 
tion of  the  freedom  from  slavery  to  which  the  new 
state  was  dedicated,  together  with  a  clear  understand- 
ing of  the  fundamental  principles  of  government  em- 
bodied in  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States. 

After  Lincoln  had  moved  from  Gentryville  and  en- 
tered upon  his  fateful  business  career  in  New  Salem, 
an  incident  occurred  which  resulted  in  a  revival  of  his 
interest  in  the  study  of  law. 


198  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

From  a  migrant,  westward  bound,  he  bought  an  old 
barrel  that  had  become  an  incumbrance  to  its  owner, 
who  was  glad  to  dispose  of  it  for  fifty  cents.  This 
purchase,  made  with  no  other  thought  than  that  of 
granting  a  favor,  proved  to  be  of  great  value  to  Lincoln 
who,  in  cleaning  out  the  barrel,  found  that  it  contained 
a  complete  edition  of  The  Commentaries  of  Blackstone, 
the  celebrated  authority  on  English  law.  These  Com- 
mentaries made  an  unusual  appeal  to  Lincoln's  alert 
mind  and  were  a  large  factor  in  his  education.  He 
read  them  with  consuming  interest,  which  completely 
absorbed  his  attention  until,  to  use  his  own  words, 
he  "devoured  them." 

In  addition  to  ruggedness  of  character,  ability  to 
concentrate  attention,  power  to  think  clearly  and  log- 
ically and  to  express  thought  with  simplicity,  and  an 
ever-increasing  desire  to  know,  Lincoln  possessed  to 
an  unusual  degree  that  refinement  of  spirit  and  gen- 
tleness of  manner  which  are  always  conclusive  evi- 
dence of  education.  These  qualities  were  not  by  any 
means  wholly  natural.  In  fact,  they  were  largely  the 
product  of  self-education  and  of  persistent  cultivation. 
In  his  earlier  years  he  had  a  tendency  to  indulge  in 
satire,  and  sometimes  used  his  caustic  wit  in  such  a 
way  as  to  wound  the  feelings  of  the  victims  to  whom 
it  was  directed.  He  lampooned  Josiah  Crawford,  for 
whom  he  "pulled  fodder"  for  three  days  to  pay  for  the 
damaged  copy  of  Weems's  Life  of  Washington,  with 
such  effect  as  to  make  him  ashamed  to  appear  in  public. 

There  is  good  reason  to  believe  that  this  close-fisted 
neighbor  was  not  the  only  one  who  felt  the  sting  of 


LINCOLN'S   EDUCATION  199 

Lincoln's  ridicule.  He  soon  became  convinced,  how- 
ever, of  the  harmful  results  as  well  as  of  the  unkind- 
ness  of  such  practices  and  ceased  to  indulge  in  them. 
It  is  related  that  before  he  left  Gentryville,  he  asked 
the  pardon  of  all  whom  he  had  thus  wronged.  Cer- 
tain it  is  that  all  his  later  life  was  characterized  by- 
kindness  and  generosity  to  both  friend  and  foe.  To  his 
intimate  friend,  Joshua  Speed,  Lincoln  is  reported  to 
have  said  in  one  of  the  many  confidential  talks  they 
had: 

"Speed,  die  when  I  may,  I  want  it  said  of  me  by 
those  who  knew  me  best,  that  I  always  plucked  a  this- 
tle and  planted  a  flower  where  I  thought  a  flower  would 
grow." 

His  desire  has  been  more  than  fulfilled.  Not  only 
those  who  knew  him  best  but  everywhere  in  the  world 
people  of  all  nations  and  tongues,  who  know  him  only 
as  an  historic  figure,  are  to-day,  more  than  ever  before 
in  the  world's  history,  recognizing  that  true  greatness 
is  found  only  in  the  gentle  and  forgiving  spirit  upon 
which  the  enduring  fame  of  Abraham  Lincoln  rests. 
Even  in  the  heart  of  the  interior  of  China,  two  thous- 
and miles  from  the  coast,  can  be  found  on  the  mud 
walls  of  the  huts  of  the  poorest  people  rude  wood  cuts 
of  the  man  who,  under  God,  helped  to  save  a  nation  and 
emancipate  a  race — an  illustration  of  the  far-reaching 
effect  of  the  great  deeds  of  a  great  life  dedicated  to  un- 
selfish service. 

Was  Abraham  Lincoln's  "education  defective"? 
Measured  by  the  conventional  standards  of  society  it 
was.    But  if  education  is  to  be  measured  by  ability  to 


200  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

think  profoundly  upon  the  greatest  problems  of  both 
individual  and  national  life;  to  state  clearly  and  force- 
fully the  results  of  such  thinking  in  language  whose 
beauty  and  simplicity  still  charm  the  entire  world;  to 
feel  so  deeply  the  wrongs  of  an  enslaved  race  that  life 
becomes  one  constant  struggle  for  their  freedom;  to 
perform  such  heroic  deeds  of  exalted  patriotism  as 
inspired  the  loyal  people  of  a  divided  country  to  fight 
on  through  four  years  of  Civil  War  to  win  a  victory 
which  forever  settled  the  question  of  national  su- 
premacy ;  to  conduct  that  war  in  such  a  magnanimous 
spirit  as  to  leave  no  cause  for  bitterness  in  the  hearts 
of  the  vanquished ;  to  win  the  esteem  and  reverence  of 
the  poorest  people  living  in  regions  far  removed  from 
civilization;  to  live  a  personal  life  so  clean  and  pure 
and  wholesome  that  all  admire  and  none  criticise — if 
these  achievements  be  the  test  of  education,  rather 
than  the  formal  standards  of  society  and  schools,  then 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  one 
of  the  most  thoroughly  educated  men  the  world  has 
ever  known. 


CHAPTER  IX 
LINCOLN'S  GETTYSBURG  ADDRESS 

NESTLED  among  the  hills  of  southern  Pennsyl- 
vania, near  the  Maryland  border,  is  the  little 
town  of  Gettysburg,  known  to-day  all  over  the 
world  as  the  scene  of  the  greatest  battle  ever  fought 
on  American  soil — the  decisive  battle  of  the  Civil 
War.  There,  amidst  the  heat  of  the  first  three  days 
of  July,  1863,  nearly  two  hundred  thousand  men, 
composed  of  the  Blue  of  the  Union  forces  and  the 
Gray  of  the  Southern  Confederacy — all  Americans 
— were  engaged  in  a  death  grapple  which  was  to  de- 
cide the  fate  of  the  Nation.  When  the  Fourth  of 
July,  the  birthday  of  that  Nation  dawned,  it  was 
known  that  the  victory  for  national  supremacy  had 
been  won  at  a  terrible  cost,  for  many  thousands  of 
the  bravest  men  who  had  ever  lived  and  fought  were 
numbered  among  the  dead  and  wounded. 

To  Andrew  G.  Curtin,  the  great  war  governor  of 
Pennsylvania,  who  visited  the  battle-field  shortly  after 
the  battle  of  Gettysburg  for  the  purpose  of  bring- 
ing relief  to  the  sick  and  wounded  soldiers,  and  to 
David  Wills,  a  resident  of  the  town  and  the  chosen 
personal  representative  of  the  Governor,  is  due  the 
credit  of  proposing  the  establishment  of  the  Gettys- 
burg National  Cemetery.     By  the  authority  of  Gov- 


202  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

ernor  Curtin,  Mr.  Wills  invited  the  different  states 
whose  soldiers  had  lost  their  lives  in  the  battle  to  co- 
operate in  removing  their  remains  from  the  hastily- 
made  graves  in  which  they  had  been,  in  many  in- 
stances, only  partially  buried,  to  a  cemetery,  the 
grounds  for  which  he  had  purchased,  at  the  request 
of  the  Governor,  to  be  paid  for  by  the  state  of  Penn- 
sylvania. The  grounds  thus  purchased  consisted  of 
about  seventeen  acres  located  on  Cemetery  Hill  and 
overlooking  the  entire  battlefield. 

The  invitation  extended  to  the  various  states  to 
co-operate  in  this  patriotic  service  was  cordially  ac- 
cepted, and  in  a  comparatively  short  time  the  ceme- 
tery grounds  were  laid  out  with  plots  assigned  to 
each  of  the  loyal  states  whose  soldiers  had  fallen  in 
the  battle.  The  official  list  published  in  1865  by  the 
state  of  Pennsylvania,  shows  that  3,555  soldiers  are 
buried  in  this  cemetery. 

Even  before  the  close  of  the  war,  a  movement  was 
started  to  preserve  the  existing  memorials  of  the 
great  battle,  and  on  April  30,  1864,  the  Gettysburg 
Battle-Field  Memorial  Association  was  incorporated 
by  an  act  of  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania.  The 
object  of  this  Association  was  declared  to  be  "to  hold 
and  preserve  the  battle-grounds  of  Gettysburg,  on 
which  were  fought  the  actions  of  the  first,  second, 
and  third  days  of  July,  one  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  sixty-three,  with  the  natural  and  artificial  de- 
fenses as  they  were  at  the  time  of  said  battle,  and  by 
such  perpetuation,  and  such  memorial  structures  as 
a  generous  and  patriotic  people  may  aid  to  erect,  to 


LINCOLN'S  GETTYSBURG  ADDRESS  203 

commemorate  the  heroic  deeds,  the  struggles  and 
the  triumphs  of  their  brave  defenders." 

Too  great  praise  cannot  be  given  to  the  officers, 
members,  and  friends  of  this  Memorial  Association, 
who  for  thirty  years  devoted  much  time  and  effort  to 
directing  the  work  of  surveying  the  grounds,  locating 
and  laying  out  roads  and  avenues,  and  providing  for 
the  erection  of  suitable  memorials  and  monuments. 
The  revenues  of  the  Association  were  not  sufficient 
to  meet  the  large  demands  made  upon  it,  and  in  1891 
a  committee  was  appointed  to  devise  a  plan  for  the 
future  maintenance  of  the  battle-field.  As  a  result 
of  the  efforts  and  the  recommendations  of  this  com- 
mittee, on  March  3,  1893,  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States  passed  an  act  authorizing  the  Secretary  of 
War  to  appoint  a  commission  of  three  members  to 
have  charge  of  the  work  of  preserving  the  battle 
lines  at  Gettysburg.  On  February  11,  1895,  Congress 
passed  another  act  to  establish  a  National  Military 
Park  at  Gettysburg.  Under  the  provisions  of  this 
act,  the  work  has  gone  forward  until  to-day  the 
"Gettysburg  National  Park,"  containing  about 
twenty-five  square  miles,  is  the  best  preserved  and 
the  most  widely  known  battle-field  in  the  world. 

The  act  provided  that  a  bronze  tablet  should  be 
erected,  containing  on  it  a  medallion  likeness  of 
President  Lincoln  and  the  Address  delivered  by  him 
on  the  occasion  of  the  dedication  of  the  national 
cemetery  at  Gettysburg.  The  form  of  the  Address 
which  appears  on  the  tablet  as  prescribed  by  Con- 
gress, is  that  of  the  final  revision  made  by  Lincoln : 


204  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

"Four  score  and  seven  years  ago  our  fathers  brought 
forth  on  this  continent  a  new  nation,  conceived  in  lib- 
erty and  dedicated  to  the  proposition  that  all  men  are 
created  equal. 

"Now  we  are  engaged  in  a  great  civil  war,  testing 
whether  that  nation,  or  any  nation  so  conceived  and 
so  dedicated,  can  long  endure.  We  are  met  on  a  great 
battlefield  of  that  war.  We  have  come  to  dedicate  a 
portion  of  that  field  as  a  final  resting  place  for  those 
who  here  gave  their  lives  that  that  nation  might  live. 
It  is  altogether  fitting  and  proper  that  we  should  do 
this. 

"But,  in  a  larger  sense,  we  cannot  dedicate,  we  can- 
not consecrate,  we  cannot  hallow  this  ground.  The 
brave  men,  living  and  dead,  who  struggled  here, 
have  consecrated  it  far  above  our  poor  power  to  add  or 
detract.  The  world  will  little  note,  nor  long  remember 
what  we  say  here;  but  it  can  never  forget  what  they 
did  here.  It  is  for  us,  the  living,  rather  to  be  dedicated 
here  to  the  unfinished  work  which  they  who  fought 
here  have  thus  far  so  nobly  advanced.  It  is  rather  for 
us  to  be  here  dedicated  to  the  great  task  remaining  be- 
fore us;  that  from  these  honored  dead  we  take  in- 
creased devotion  to  that  cause  for  which  they  gave 
the  last  full  measure  of  devotion ;  that  we  here  highly 
resolve  that  these  dead  shall  not  have  died  in  vain; 
that  this  nation,  under  God,  shall  have  a  new  birth  of 
freedom,  and  that  government  of  the  people,  by  the 
people,  for  the  people,  shall  not  perish  from  the 
earth." 

This  action  of  Congress  in  providing  for  the  erec- 
tion of  a  tablet  to  contain  the  Gettysburg  Address 
and  specifying  the  exact  form  in  which  it  was  to  ba 
recorded  is  without  precedent  or  parallel,  and  serves 
as  a  fitting  climax  to  the  interest  which  centers  about 


LINCOLN'S  GETTYSBURG  ADDRESS  205 

that  historic  nineteenth  of  November,  1863,  on 
which  this  remarkable  Address  was  delivered. 

It  is  exceedingly  unfortunate  that  so  many  false 
statements  relating  both  to  its  preparation  and  to 
the  effect  produced  upon  the  people  who  heard  it, 
should  have  gained  such  wide  credence.  It  is  most 
desirable  that  the  facts  connected  with  such  an  im- 
portant event  should  be  known. 

In  order  that  the  proper  historic  setting  for  this 
may  be  given,  it  is  necessary  to  go  back  to  August  17, 
1863.  In  a  letter  of  that  date  Mr.  Wills  suggested  to 
Governor  Curtin  that  the  Gettysburg  Cemetery  should 
be  "consecrated  by  appropriate  ceremonies."  This 
suggestion  met  with  the  hearty  approval  of  the  Gov- 
ernor, who  united  with  the  governors  of  the  other 
states  having  soldiers  who  fell  in  the  ranks  at  Gettys- 
burg, in  a  request  that  Mr.  Wills  make  the  necessary 
arrangements  for  the  ceremonies.  In  accordance  with 
this  request,  on  September  23,  1863,  Mr.  Wills  wrote 
the  Honorable  Edward  Everett,  of  Massachusetts,  in- 
viting him  to  deliver  the  oration  and  naming  October 
23  as  the  date.  On  September  26  Mr.  Everett  replied 
to  this  invitation  in  a  letter  which  is  full  of  interest 
and  which  plainly  shows  a  full  realization  of  both  the 
opportunity  and  the  responsibility  which  came  with  an 
acceptance  of  the  invitation: 

"I  have  received  your  favor  of  the  23rd  instant," 
he  wrote,  "inviting  me,  on  behalf  of  the  governors 
of  the  states  interested  in  the  preparation  of  a  ceme- 
tery for  the  soldiers  who  fell  in  the  great  battles  of 
July  last,  to  deliver  an  address  at  the  consecration. 


206  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

I  feel  much  complimented  by  this  request,  and  would 
cheerfully  undertake  the  performance  of  a  duty  at 
once  so  interesting  and  honorable.  It  is,  however, 
wholly  out  of  my  power  to  make  the  requisite  prep- 
aration by  the  23rd  of  October.  I  am  under  engage- 
ments which  will  occupy  all  my  time  from  Monday 
next  to  the  twelfth  of  October,  and,  indeed,  it  is  doubt- 
ful whether,  during  the  whole  month  of  October,  I 
shall  have  a  day  at  my  command. 

"The  occasion  is  one  of  great  importance,  not  to 
be  dismissed  with  a  few  sentimental  or  patriotic 
commonplaces.  It  will  demand  as  full  a  narrative  of 
the  events  of  the  three  important  days  as  the  limits 
of  the  hour  will  admit,  and  some  appropriate  dis- 
cussion of  the  political  character  of  the  great  strug- 
gle, of  which  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  is  one  of  the 
most  momentous  incidents.  As  it  will  take  me  two 
days  to  reach  Gettysburg,  and  it  will  be  highly  de- 
sirable that  I  should  have  at  least  one  day  to  survey 
the  battle-field,  I  can  not  safely  name  an  earlier  time 
than  the  19th  of  November. 

"Should  such  a  postponement  of  the  day  first  pro- 
posed be  admissible,  it  will  give  me  great  pleasure  to 
accept  the  invitation." 

On  November  2,  Mr.  Wills  sent  the  following  invi- 
tation to  President  Lincoln : 

"The  several  states  having  soldiers  in  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac,  who  were  killed  at  the  battle  of  Gettys- 
burg, or  have  since  died  at  the  various  hospitals 
which  were  established  in  the  vicinity,  have  pro- 
cured grounds  on  a  prominent  part  of  the  field  for  a 


(txtcniivt   i%tnn$w 


n, 


j&y%ji?Z>'  *Vr**Z?*  'pf^-y    <s£wy  -V&^o, 


FIRST  DRAFT   OF  LINCOLN'S   GETTYSBURG  ADDRESS 
Photograph  from  original  in  Library  of  Congress — reduced. 


d^n$%>  -jfhcs^u/  t??i&sL*j  n^>^rTh*-sO  &t%&&^   e**~t*  jfctL$**s  ***** 


"t^pUy     'K&W     €L.»&*&    t^A?  £a~Z^ifL£e*  #>>4LdHMW*W  <%ftd4>^~ 


LINCOLN'S   GETTYSBURG   ADDRESS— SECOND   PAGE 


LINCOLN'S  GETTYSBURG  ADDRESS  209 

cemetery,  and  are  having  the  dead  removed  to  them 
and  properly  buried.  These  grounds  will  be  conse- 
crated and  set  apart  to  this  sacred  purpose,  by  ap- 
propriate ceremonies,  on  Thursday,  the  19th  instant. 
Honorable  Edward  Everett  will  deliver  the  oration. 
I  am  authorized  by  the  governors  of  the  different 
states  to  invite  you  to  be  present  and  participate  in 
these  ceremonies,  which  will  doubtless  be  very  im- 
posing and  solemnly  impressive.  It  is  the  desire  that 
after  the  oration,  you  as  Chief  Executive  of  the  na- 
tion, formally  set  apart  these  grounds  to  their  sacred, 
use  by  a  few  appropriate  remarks.  It  will  be  a 
source  of  great  gratification  to  the  many  widows  and 
orphans  that  have  been  made  almost  friendless  by 
the  great  battle  here,  to  have  you  here  personally; 
and  it  will  kindle  anew  in  the  breasts  of  the  com- 
rades of  these  brave  dead,  who  are  now  in  the  tented 
field  or  nobly  meeting  the  foe  in  the  front,  a  confi- 
dence that  they  who  sleep  in  death  on  the  battle- 
field are  not  forgotten  by  those  highest  in  authority ; 
and  they  will  feel  that,  should  their  fate  be  the  same, 
their  remains  will  not  be  uncared  for.  We  hope  you 
will  be  able  to  be  present  to  perform  this  last  solemn 
act  to  the  soldier-dead  on  this  battle-field." 

Along  with  this  official  invitation,  Mr.  Wills  sent 
the  following  private  note : 

"As  the  hotels  in  our  town  will  be  crowded  and 
in  confusion  at  the  time  referred  to  in  the  enclosed 
invitation,  I  write  to  invite  you  to  stop  with  me.  I 
hope  you  will  feel  it  your  duty  to  lay  aside  pressing 
business  for  a  day  to  come  on  here  to  perform  this 


210  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

last  sad  rite  to  our  brave  soldier-dead  on  the  19th 
instant.  Governor  Curtin  and  Honorable  Edward 
Everett  will  be  my  guests  at  that  time,  and  if  you 
come  you  will  please  join  them  at  my  house." 

Business  was,  indeed,  most  pressing  at  that  par- 
ticular time.  In  addition  to  the  heavy  responsibili- 
ties connected  with  the  Presidential  office,  especially 
in  relation  to  the  conduct  of  the  war,  a  very  im- 
portant message  must  be  prepared  to  send  to  Con- 
gress, which  would  soon  meet.  Notwithstanding 
this,  the  great-souled  President,  with  his  heart  full 
of  gratitude  to  all  who  had  helped  to  win  the  victory 
at  Gettysburg,  promptly  accepted  both  the  official 
invitation,  formally  to  set  apart  the  grounds  to  their 
sacred  use  by  a  few  appropriate  remarks,  and  the 
private  invitation  to  be  a  guest  in  the  home  of  Mr. 
Wills.  Because  of  the  acceptance  of  the  latter,  the 
"Wills  House"  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  places 
in  Gettysburg,  while  the  "few  appropriate  remarks" 
made  in  response  to  the  former,  have  "given  to 
Gettysburg  another  claim  to  immortality  and  to 
American  eloquence  its  highest  glory." 

Two  brief  letters  relating  to  the  journey  to  Gettys- 
burg are  significant  and  interesting. 

On  November  17,  the  President  wrote  to  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury  Chase : 

"I  expected  to  see  you  here  at  Cabinet  meeting, 
and  to  say  something  about  going  to  Gettysburg. 
There  will  be  a  train  to  take  and  return  us.  The 
time  for  starting  is  not  yet  fixed ;  but  when  it  shall  be 
I  will  notify  you." 


LINCOLN'S  GETTYSBURG  ADDRESS  211 

On  the  same  date,  Secretary  of  War  Stanton  sent 
the  following  characteristic  note  to  President  Lincoln 
outlining  the  arrangements  he  had  made  for  the 
journey: 

"It  is  proposed  by  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Road : 
First,  to  leave  Washington,  Thursday  morning  at  6 
A.M.  Second  to  leave  Baltimore  at  8  a.m.,  arriving 
at  Gettysburg  at  twelve,  noon,  thus  giving  two  hours 
to  view  the  ground  before  the  dedication  ceremonies 
commence.  Third,  to  leave  Gettysburg  at  6  p.m.  and 
arrive  at  Washington  at  midnight,  thus  doing  all  in 
one  day."  Upon  this  note  President  Lincoln  wrote  an 
endorsement  as  characteristic  of  him  as  the  note, 
itself,  was  of  Secretary  Stanton : 

"I  do  not  like  this  arrangement.  I  do  not  wish  to 
so  go  that  by  the  slightest  accident  we  fail  entirely; 
and  at  the  best,  the  whole  to  be  a  mere  breathless 
running  of  the  gauntlet.    But  any  way." 

The  plan  was  changed  to  suit  the  implied  wishes 
of  the  President.  At  noon,  November  18,  the  Presi- 
dential party  started  on  its  journey,  reaching  Gettys- 
burg that  evening.  Only  three  members  of  the 
President's  Cabinet  were  with  him — Secretary  of 
State  Seward,  Secretary  of  the  Interior  Usher,  and 
Postmaster  General  Blair.  Private  secretaries  Nicolay 
and  Hay  attended  the  President,  who,  upon  arrival  at 
Gettysburg,  went  at  once  to  the  home  of  Mr.  Wills. 

It  is  impossible  to  explain  how  the  false  state- 
ments relating  to  the  preparation  of  the  Gettysburg 
Address  ever  originated  or  to  understand  why  these 
false   statements  were   ever  believed   by  thoughtful 


212  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

people.  But  even  to  this  day,  there  are  many  who 
still  persist  in  giving  expression  to  the  belief  that 
this  matchless  oration  simply  sprang  into  existence, 
accidentally  or  incidentally,  without  any  thought  or 
preparation. 

The  following  are  examples  of  such  statements 
which  can  be  found  in  some  of  the  so-called  "His- 
tories" and  "Reminiscences"  of  Lincoln : 

"President  Lincoln  while  on  his  way  from  the 
capital  to  the  battle-field  was  notified  that  he  would 
be  expected  to  make  some  remarks"  and  "retiring  a 
short  time,"  he  prepared  the  Address. 

"His  remarks  at  Gettysburg  were  written  in  the 
car  on  his  way  from  Washington  to  the  battle-field 
upon  a  piece  of  pasteboard  held  on  his  knee." 

"When  the  President  rose  to  speak,  he  unpremed- 
itated and  solemnly  said,  'It  is  intimated  to  me  that 
this  assemblage  expects  me  to  say  something  on  this 
occasion/  " 

The  Perfect  Tribute,  by  Mary  Shipman  Andrews, 
is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  stories  in  the  entire 
realm  of  Lincoln  literature.  It  richly  deserves  the 
wide  reading  which  it  has  had,  because  it  reveals  in 
a  marvelous  manner  the  real  spirit  of  President  Lin- 
coln as  breathed  in  the  Gettysburg  Address.  But  it  is 
unfortunate  that  it  has  been  taken  literally  by  many 
who  have  accepted,  as  being  historically  true,  the 
statements  relating  to  the  preparation  of  this  Ad- 
dress. President  Lincoln  did  few,  if  any,  of  the 
things  which  the  author  of  The  Perfect  Tribute 
credits  him  with  doing  on  his  way  to  Gettysburg.    He 


LINCOLN'S  GETTYSBURG  ADDRESS  213 

did  not  gaze  wistfully  across  the  car  at  Edward 
Everett.  That  gentleman  was  not  on  the  train,  hav- 
ing gone  to  Gettysburg  in  advance  by  another  route. 
He  did  not  stretch  out  his  long  arm  for  the  torn 
paper  which  Secretary  Seward  had  thrown  to  the 
floor  of  the  car,  after  opening  a  package  of  books, 
and  ask  if  he  might  use  it  to  do  a  little  writing.  But 
fully  realizing  that  "the  people  had  a  right  to  the 
best  he  could  give/'  he  had  not  waited  for  the  "leis- 
ure of  the  journey"  to  prepare,  but  had  already 
thought  out  in  a  large  measure,  and  had  partially 
put  in  writing  what  he  intended  to  say.  That  he 
"might  give  them  his  best,"  he  had  done  what  he  had 
always  done  all  his  life  with  painstaking  care,  when- 
ever he  had  an  important  duty  to  perform — he  had 
made  the  most  careful  preparation.  To  presume 
that  Abraham  Lincoln  could  have  done  otherwise  in 
meeting  one  of  the  most  solemn  and  important  obli- 
gations of  his  entire  life  is  indeed  an  injustice  to  his 
memory. 

No  man  in  public  life  ever  prepared  with  greater 
care  what  he  had  to  say  or  exercised  greater  care  in 
saying  it  than  did  Abraham  Lincoln.  Numerous  in- 
cidents might  be  cited  in  proof  of  this.  One  directly 
connected  with  his  visit  to  Gettysburg  is  sufficient. 
On  the  evening  of  the  18th  of  November  a  serenading 
party  called  on  the  different  visitors  of  prominence 
for  speeches.  Several  of  them,  including  Secretary 
Seward,  responded — some  of  them  at  considerable 
length.  After  repeated  and  persistent  calls,  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  appeared  and  said: 


214  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

"I  appear  before  you,  fellow-citizens,  merely  to  thank 
you  for  this  compliment.  The  inference  is  a  very  fair 
one  that  you  would  hear  me  for  a  little  while  at  least, 
were  I  to  commence  to  make  a  speech.  I  do  not  appear 
before  you  for  the  purpose  of  doing  so,  and  for  several 
substantial  reasons.  The  most  substantial  one  of  these 
is  that  I  have  no  speech  to  make.  In  my  position  it  is 
somewhat  important  that  I  should  not  say  any  foolish 
things.  (A  voice:  'If  you  can  help  it/)  It  very  often 
happens  that  the  only  way  to  help  it  is  to  say  nothing 
at  all.  Believing  that  is  my  present  condition  this  eve- 
ning, I  must  beg  of  you  to  excuse  me  from  addressing 
you  further/' 

Fortunately  all  the  essential  facts  relating  to  the 
composition  and  delivery  of  the  Address  are  avail- 
able in  an  article  furnished  by  Mr.  Nicolay,  Presi- 
dent Lincoln's  private  secretary,  who  accompanied 
him  on  the  trip  to  Gettysburg,  and  who  presents 
abundant  evidence  to  prove  that  he  knows  whereof 
he  speaks.  This  article  on  "Lincoln's  Gettysburg 
Address,"  published  in  the  Century  Magazine,  vol- 
ume 47,  1893-4,  pages  596  to  608,  is  the  original 
source  of  practically  all  the  reliable  information  to 
be  obtained  on  the  subject  of  which  it  treats. 

The  following  quotations  from  it  are  used  with  the 
special  permission  of  The  Century  Company: 

"There  is  neither  record,  evidence,  nor  well- 
founded  tradition  that  Mr.  Lincoln  did  any  writing, 
or  made  any  notes,  on  the  journey  between  Wash- 
ington and  Gettysburg.  The  train  consisted  of  four 
passenger  coaches,  and  either  composition  or  writ- 
ing would  have  been  extremely  troublesome  amid 
all  the  movement,  the  noise,  the  conversation,  the 


LINCOLN'S  GETTYSBURG  ADDRESS  215 

greetings,  and  the  questionings  which  ordinary  cour- 
tesy required  him  to  undergo  in  these  surroundings ; 
but  still  worse  would  have  been  the  rockings  and 
joltings  of  the  train,  rendering  writing  virtually  im- 
possible. Mr.  Lincoln  carried  in  his  pocket  the 
autograph  manuscript  of  so  much  of  his  address  as 
he  had  written  at  Washington  the  day  before.  Pre- 
cisely what  that  was  the  reader  can  now  see  by 
turning  to  the  facsimile  reproduction  of  the  original 
draft,  which  is  for  the  first  time  printed  and  made 
public  in  this  article.  It  fills  one  page  of  the  letter- 
paper  at  that  time  habitually  used  in  the  Executive 
Mansion,  containing  the  plainly  printed  blank  head- 
ing; both  paper  and  print  giving  convincing  testi- 
mony to  the  simple  and  economical  business  meth- 
ods then  prevailing  in  the  White  House. 

"The  whole  of  this  first  page — nineteen  lines — is 
written  in  ink  in  the  President's  strong  clear  hand, 
without  blot  or  erasure;  and  the  last  line  is  in  the 
following  form:  'It  is  rather  for  us  the  living  to 
stand  here,'  the  last  three  words  being,  like  the  rest, 
in  ink.  From  the  fact  that  this  sentence  is  incom- 
plete, we  may  infer  that  at  the  time  of  writing  it  in 
Washington  the  remainder  of  the  sentence  was  also 
written  in  ink  on  another  piece  of  paper.  But  when, 
at  Gettysburg  on  the  morning  of  the  ceremonies,  Mr. 
Lincoln  finished  his  manuscript,  he  used  a  lead  pen- 
cil, with  which  he  crossed  out  the  last  three  words  of 
the  first  page,  and  wrote  above  them  in  pencil  'we 
here  be  dedica,'  at  which  point  he  took  up  a  new 
half  sheet  of  paper — not  white  letter-paper  as  be- 


216  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

fore,  but  a  bluish-gray  foolscap  of  large  size  with 
wide  lines,  habitually  used  by  him  for  long  or  formal 
documents,  and  on  this  he  wrote,  all  in  pencil,  the 
remainder  of  the  word,  and  of  the  first  draft  of  the 
Address,  comprising  a  total  of  nine  lines  and  a  half." 

"The  time  occupied  in  this  final  writing  w&s  prob- 
ably about  an  hour,  for  it  is  not  likely  that  he  left 
the  breakfast  table  before  nine  o'clock,  and  the 
formation  of  the  procession  began  at  ten." 

Concerning  the  preparation  of  the  last  page  of  the 
Address,  Mr.  Nicolay  speaks  with  the  authority  of 
an  eye  witness,  for  in  the  same  article,  he  says : 

"It  was  after  the  breakfast  hour  on  the  morning 
of  the  19th  that  the  writer,  Mr.  Lincoln's  private  sec- 
retary, went  to  the  upper  room  in  the  house  of  Mr. 
LWills  which  Mr.  Lincoln  occupied,  to  report  for  duty, 
and  remained  with  the  President  while  he  finished 
writing  the  Gettysburg  Address." 

There  can  be  no  question,  therefore,  that  the 
Gettysburg  Address  was  carefully  prepared  and  that 
no  statements  made  by  anyone  to  the  contrary  are 
worthy  of  any  consideration. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  different  versions  of  this 
Address  are  extant,  it  is  highly  important  to  know 
which  is  the  correct  one.  Fortunately  this  was  defi- 
nitely settled  by  President  Lincoln,  himself,  as  re- 
lated by  Mr.  Nicolay: 

"Four  days  after  Mr.  Lincoln's  return  to  Washing- 
ton, Mr.  Wills  once  more  wrote  him  saying: 

'On  behalf  of  the  States  interested  in  the  National 
Cemetery  here,  I  request  of  you  the  original  manu- 


LINCOLN'S  GETTYSBURG  ADDRESS  217 

script  of  the  dedicatory  remarks  delivered  by  you 
here  last  Thursday.  We  desire  them  to  be  placed 
with  the  correspondence  and  other  papers  connected 
with  the  project/ 

"To  comply  with  this  request,  the  President  re- 
examined his  original  draft,  and  the  version  which 
had  appeared  in  the  newspapers,  and  saw  that,  be- 
cause of  the  variations  between  them,  the  first 
seemed  incomplete,  and  the  others  imperfect.  By 
his  direction,  therefore,  his  secretaries  made  copies 
of  the  Associated  Press  report,  as  it  was  printed  in 
several  prominent  newspapers.  Comparing  these 
with  his  original  draft,  and  with  his  own  fresh 
recollection  of  the  form  in  which  he  delivered  it,  he 
made  a  new  autograph  copy — a  careful  and  deliber- 
ate revision — which  has  become  the  standard  and 
authentic  text. 

In  making  a  comparison  of  the  first  draft  of  the 
Address  as  the  President  wrote  it  and  the  Associated 
Press  report  of  its  delivery,  Mr.  Nicolay  notes  the 
following  essential  changes : 

"1.  The  phrase,  'Those  who  died  here/  was 
changed  to  'Those  who  here  gave  their  lives/ 

"2.  The  entire  sentence,  'This  we  may  in  all  pro- 
priety do/  was  changed  to  'It  is  altogether  fitting 
and  proper  that  we  should  do  this/ 

"3.  The  sentence  in  the  original  draft,  'It  is  rather 
for  us  the  living  we  here  be  dedicated  to  the  great 
task  remaining  before  us/  was  transformed  into  two 
sentences,  thus:  'It  is  for  us  the  living,  rather  to  be 
dedicated  here  to  the  unfinished  work  that  they  have 


218  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

thus  far  so  nobly  carried  on.  It  is  rather  for  us  to  be 
here  dedicated  to  the  great  task  remaining  before 

us.'  The  'we'  in  the  original  was 

of  course  a  mere  slip  of  the  pencil,  'to'  having  been 
intended. 

"4.  The  phrase,  'Shall  have  a  new  birth  of  free- 
dom/ was  changed  as  follows:  "Shall,  under  God, 
have  a  new  birth  of  freedom/ 

"The  changes  may  have  been  prompted  by  the 
oratorical  impulse  of  the  moment;  but  it  is  more 
likely  that  in  the  interval  of  four  hours  occupied  by 
coming  to  the  grounds,  and  the  delivery  of  Mr. 
Everett's  oration,  he  (Lincoln)  fashioned  the 
phrases  anew  in  his  silent  thought,  and  had  them 
ready  for  use  when  he  rose  to  speak. 

"The  other  changes  were  merely  verbal :  as,  'have 
come'  changed  to  'are  met';  'a'  changed  to  'the'; 
'for'  changed  to  'of;  'the'  changed  to  'that';  'hal- 
lowed' changed  to  'consecrated';  the  word  'poor' 
omitted;  'while'  changed  to  'but';  'these'  changed  to 
'that  the';  'government'  changed  to  'governments'; 
and  the  word  'and'  interpolated  in  the  last  sentence. 
Most,  if  not  all,  of  these  are  clearly  errors  of  the 
shorthand." 

Comparing  the  Associated  Press  Report  with  the 
final  revision,  Mr.  Nicolay  notes : 

"That  there  were  in  all  thirteen  changes;  that 
seven  of  these  are  a  mere  return  to,  or  restoration  of, 
words  in  the  first  draft,  correcting  the  errors  which 
evidently  occurred  in  the  transmission  by  telegraph 
and  the   newspaper   typesetting,   namely:    'are  met' 


LINCOLN'S  GETTYSBURG  ADDRESS  219 

changed  back  to  'have  come' ;  'the'  changed  back  to 
V ;  'of'  changed  back  to  'for' ;  'power'  changed  back 
to  'poor  power';  'the'  changed  back  to  'these';  'gov- 
ernments' changed  back  to  'government';  'and' 
omitted  from  the  last  sentence,  as  at  first. 

"The  other  six  changes  are  the  President's  own 
deliberate  revision,  namely:  'upon'  changed  to  'on'; 
'it5  changed  to  'that  field';  'they  have'  changed  to 
'they  who  fought  here  have' ;  'carried  on'  changed  to 
'advanced' ;  'they  here  gave'  changed  to  'they  gave' ; 
and  the  phrase  'shall  under  God'  transposed  to  read 
'under  God  shall.'  " 

"In  addition  to  that  from  Mr.  Wills,"  says  Mr. 
Nicolay,  "other  requests  soon  came  to  him  for  auto- 
graph copies.  The  number  he  made,  and  for  what 
friends,  cannot  now  be  confidently  stated,  though  it 
was  probably  half  a  dozen  or  more,  all  written  by  him 
with  painstaking  care  to  correspond  word  for  word 
with  his  revision.  If  in  any  respect  they  differed  from 
each  other,  it  was  due  to  accident  and  against  his  in- 
tention." 

One  of  the  "other  requests"  was  from  Mr.  Everett 
himself,  who  wrote  to  President  Lincoln  on  January 
30,  1864: 

"I  shall  have  the  honor  of  forwarding  to  you  by 
express,  to-day  or  on  Monday  next,  a  copy  of  the 
authorized  edition  of  my  Gettysburg  Address  and  of 
the  remarks  made  by  yourself,  and  the  other  matters 
connected  with  the  ceremonial  of  the  dedication  of 
the  Cemetery.  It  appeared,  owing  to  unavoidable 
delays,  only  yesterday. 


220  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

"I  have  promised  to  give  the  manuscript  of  my 
address  to  Mrs.  Governor  Fish  of  New  York,  who  is 
at  the  head  of  the  Ladies'  Committee  of  the  Metro- 
politan fair.  It  would  add  very  greatly  to  its  value 
if  I  could  bind  up  with  it  the  manuscript  of  your 
dedicatory  remarks,  if  you  happen  to  have  preserved 
it. 

"I  would  further  venture  to  request,  that  you 
would  allow  me  also  to  bind  up  in  the  volume  the 
very  obliging  letter  of  the  20th  of  November,  1863, 
which  you  did  me  the  favor  to  write  me.  I  shall 
part  with  it  with  much  reluctance,  and  I  shrink  a 
little  from  the  apparent  indelicacy  of  giving  some 
publicity  to  a  letter  highly  complimentary  to  myself. 
But  as  its  insertion  would  greatly  enhance  the  value 
of  the  volume  when  sold  at  the  fair,  I  shall,  if  I  have 
your  kind  permission,  waive  all  other  considera- 
tions." 

To  this  letter  President  Lincoln  replied  on  Feb- 
ruary 4,  1864: 

"Yours  of  January  30th  was  received  four  days  ago; 
and  since  then  the  address  mentioned  has  arrived. 
Thank  you  for  it.  I  send  herewith  the  manuscript  of 
my  remarks  at  Gettysburg,  which,  with  my  note  to  you 
of  November  20th,  you  are  at  liberty  to  use  for  the 
benefit  of  our  soldiers,  as  you  have  requested." 

Leaves  From  Our  Country's  Authors  is  the  title  of 
a  volume  that  was  sold  for  the  benefit  of  the  soldiers 
at  a  fair  held  in  Baltimore  in  April,  1864.  This  in- 
teresting volume  of  two  hundred  pages  contained 
facsimile  reproductions  of  writings  from  all  the 
prominent    American    authors,    and    included    the 


LINCOLN'S  GETTYSBURG  ADDRESS  221 

Gettysburg  Address,  an  autograph  copy  of  which 
was  furnished  by  President  Lincoln  at  the  verbal  re- 
quest of  George  Bancroft,  the  historian,  who  acted 
on  behalf  of  the  committee  in  charge  of  the  publica- 
tion. This  copy  was  written  on  both  sides  of  a  letter 
sheet  and  could  not  be  used  for  lithographing.  On 
learning  this,  President  Lincoln,  with  characteristic 
patience,  made  a  second  copy,  generously  permitting 
Mr.  Bancroft  to  keep  the  first.  The  text  of  this  copy  is 
identical  with  that  prescribed  by  Congress  for  use  on 
the  Tablet  which  has  previously  been  referred  to  in 

this  chapter. 

The  extreme  importance  of  adhering  to  this  stand- 
ard text  is  forcefully  presented  by  the  late  Major 
William  H.  Lambert  in  his  scholarly  discussion  of 
"The  Gettysburg  Address — When  Written,  How  Re- 
ceived, Its  True  Form,"  published  in  No.  4,  Vol.  33, 
of  The  Pennsylvania  Magazine  of  History  and  Biogra- 
phy. 

"In  an  address  so  brief,  but  so  momentous,  every 
syllable  tells;  and  though  the  differences  between 
the  final  revision  and  the  speech  as  actually  de- 
livered are  few  and  seemingly  immaterial,  the 
changes  intensify  its  strength  and  pathos  and  add  to 
its  beauty,  and  as  so  revised  the  speech  cannot  be  too 
jealously  preserved  as  the  ultimate  expression  of  the 
author's  sublime  thought.  Increasing  appreciation 
of  Lincoln's  character  and  of  his  fitness  for  the  great 
work  to  which  in  the  providence  of  God  he  was 
called,  enhances  the  value  of  his  every  word;  and 
surely  the  form  by  which  he  intended  this  utterance 


222  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

should  be  judged  is  that  in  which  we  should  per- 
petuate the  Gettysburg  Address." 

It  is  not  uncommon  to  hear  statements  to  the  ef- 
fect that  the  Gettysburg  Address  was  accorded  little 
attention  at  the  time  of  its  delivery  and  that  those 
who  heard  it  had  no  appreciation  of  its  beauty  or 
realization  of  its  significance.  It  is  even  reported 
that  Secretary  Seward  and  Mr.  Everett  commented 
upon  it  at  its  close  in  a  most  uncomplimentary  man- 
ner, agreeing  that  it  was  a  disappointment  and  a 
failure,  wholly  unworthy  of  the  President.  Even 
had  such  views  been  held  by  these  distinguished 
men,  it  is  most  unreasonable  to  presume  that  they 
would  have  given  expression  to  them  under  the  at- 
tendant circumstances.  What  Mr.  Everett  really 
thought  of  the  Address  was  expressed  in  the  follow- 
ing letter  sent  to  President  Lincoln  at  Washington 
the  next  day: 

"Not  wishing  to  intrude  upon  your  privacy  when 
you  must  be  much  engaged,  I  beg  leave  in  this  way 
to  thank  you  very  sincerely  for  your  great  thought- 
fulness  for  my  daughter's  accommodation  on  the 
platform  yesterday,  and  much  kindness  to  me  and 
mine  at  Gettysburg.  Permit  me  also  to  express  my 
great  admiration  of  the  thoughts  expressed  by  you 
with  such  eloquent  simplicity  and  appropriateness 
at  the  consecration  of  the  cemetery.  I  should  be 
glad  if  I  could  flatter  myself  that  I  came  as  near  the 
central  idea  of  the  occasion  in  two  hours  as  you  did 
in  two  minutes.     My  son,  who  parted  from  me  a.% 


LINCOLN'S  GETTYSBURG  ADDRESS  223 

Baltimore,  and  my  daughter  concur  in  this  state- 
ment." 

To  this  fine  compliment,  President  Lincoln,  with 
characteristic  modesty,  replied : 

"Your  kind  note  of  to-day  is  received.  In  our  respec- 
tive parts  yesterday,  you  could  not  have  been  excused 
to  make  a  short  address,  nor  I  a  long  one.  I  am  pleased 
to  know  that  in  your  judgment  the  little  I  did  say  was 
not  a  failure/' 

Whatever  others  may  have  thought  or  said  about 
the  Address,  it  is  not  at  all  probable  that  Lincoln, 
himself,  had  any  realization  of  its  greatness  at  the 
time  of  its  delivery.  In  fact,  there  is  good  reason  to 
believe  that  he  felt  that  it  was  a  failure.  That  he 
should  so  feel  is  in  harmony  with  his  humility,  which 
always  led  him  to  underestimate  rather  than  to  over- 
estimate the  importance  of  what  he  said  or  did.  It 
is  reasonable  to  infer,  however,  that  his  careful  re- 
vision of  the  Address  later  on,  is  an  indication  that  he 
had  somewhat  modified  his  own  estimate  of  its  value. 

Many  accounts  of  the  manner  in  which  the  Ad- 
dress was  delivered  and  of  its  effects  upon  the  audi- 
ence have  been  published.  No  one  of  these  accounts 
is  more  trustworthy  than  that  prepared  expressly 
for  the  author,  in  1913,  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of 
the  occasion,  by  the  late  Superintendent  John  Mor- 
row of  Allegheny,  Pennsylvania.  Because  of  Mr. 
Morrow's  unusual  opportunity  to  see  and  hear  all 
that  transpired,  he  was  able  to  speak  with  authority 
and  accuracy.  The  following  quotations  are  taken 
from  his  account: 

"It  was  my  privilege  to  be  present  on  that  historic 


224  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

occasion.  Half  a  century,  freighted  with  changes 
destined  to  bless  mankind  to  the  remotest  genera- 
tions, has  come  and  gone,  but  no  impression  in  all 
these  changeful  years  comes  back  to  me  with  such 
indelible  clearness  and  freshness  as  the  divinely  in- 
spiring events  of  November  19th,  1863. 

"My  friend,  Dr.  A.  P.  Garber,  and  I,  through  a 
great  deal  of  tribulation,  arrived  in  the  little,  old- 
fashioned  town  of  Gettysburg  early  on  the  morning 
of  November  19th.  The  Gettysburg  of  fifty  years 
ago  was  very  different  from  the  Gettysburg  of  to- 
day. At  that  time,  there  was  only  one  little,  poorly 
equipped  railroad,  about  thirty  miles  in  length,  lead- 
ing into  Gettysburg.  This  was  a  short  branch  run- 
ning from  Hanover  Junction  on  the  main  line  of  the 
Pennsylvania  railroad  between  Harrisburg  and 
Baltimore.  It  had  been  put  wholly  out  of  commis- 
sion by  Lee's  army  under  General  Early  and  was  still 
in  very  bad  condition,  so  that  it  took  us  all  night, 
from  about  five  o'clock  in  the  evening  until  seven  the 
next  morning,  to  cover  those  thirty  miles.  We 
found  the  old  town  swarming  with  strangers.  They 
had  been  coming  for  several  days,  expecting  to  at- 
tend the  dedication.  That  nineteenth  of  November 
was  one  of  the  most  beautiful,  sunshiny  days  that 
any  one  could  desire.  The  sky  was  clear;  the  air 
was  pure  and  bracing ;  but  there  was  an  atmosphere 
of  stillness,  suppressed  sorrow,  and  grief  that  seemed 
to  pervade  the  whole  country.  The  people  talked  in 
subdued  and  plaintive  tones.  The  irresistible  feeling 
of  the  thousands  present  was  that  they  were  in  the 


THE  LINCOLN  TOMB 

In  the  crypt  of  this  tomb,  in  Oak  Ridge  Cemetery,  Springfield,  Illinois, 

lies  the  body  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 


LINCOLN'S  GETTYSBURG  ADDRESS  227 

midst  of  a  great  funeral  concourse.  Most  of  the 
homes  were  elaborately  draped  in  mourning  and  a 
pall  of  sadness  enveloped  the  entire  community. 

"The  dedicatory  exercises  had  been  scheduled  to 
take  place  at  one  o'clock  p.m.  A  large  platform 
about  forty  feet  square  had  been  erected  at  the 
upper  side  of  the  cemetery,  where  the  National  Sol- 
diers' Monument  now  stands.  Doctor  Garber  and  I 
walked  out  there  in  the  morning  a  little  after  eight 
o'clock.  We  took  seats  on  the  front  edge  of  the 
platform  and  remained  there  until  the  dignitaries 
arrived.  We  were  then  asked  to  slide  down  off  the 
platform,  which  we  did,  and  stood  on  the  ground, 
leaning  up  against  the  front  of  it.  Abraham  Lincoln 
and  Edward  Everett  were  shown  to  seats  right  in 
front  of  where  we  stood.  We  were  so  close  to  them 
that  I  could  have  touched  either  of  them  during  the 
entire  dedicatory  exercises.  I  heard  all  they  said, 
which  was  very  little,  while  they  sat  there.  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  did  not  seem  to  be  in  a  talkative  mood. 
Most  of  what  he  said  was  in  answer  to  Everett's  re- 
marks about  the  pleasant  weather,  the  great  audi- 
ence that  had  assembled  there,  and  the  gravity  of 
the  occasion. 

"A  great  choir  of  picked  voices,  assisted  by  the 
Marine  Band,  furnished  the  music  for  the  occasion. 
The  music  was  all  of  that  minor  order,  dirge-like, 
plaintive,  and  sorrowful.  After  two  selections  of 
this  character  were  rendered,  Edward  Everett,  of 
Massachusetts,  was  introduced.  He  was  one  of  the 
most  polished  and  eloquent  speakers  in  the  United 


228  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

States  at  that  time.  He  was  a  graduate  of  the 
University,  had  studied  theology  and  was  ordained  as 
a  minister  of  the  gospel,  was  elected  Professor  of 
Languages  in  Harvard  University,  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  United  States  Senate  for  a  number  of 
years,  had  been  governor  of  Massachusetts,  still  later 
Secretary  of  State,  and  as  a  crowning  recognition  of 
his  ability,  was  sent  as  Minister  to  England  to  repre- 
sent the  United  States.  It  will,  therefore,  be  seen 
that  Edward  Everett  was  eminently  qualified  by  in- 
tellect, by  education,  and  by  experience  to  deliver 
such  an  address.  He  was  a  splendid  looking  man 
with  fine  physique,  classical  face,  flowing  hair,  and 
impressive  personality.  I  can  see  him  still,  as  his 
majestic  form  appeared  on  that  platform,  the  very 
embodiment  of  grace,  dignity,  polish,  and  eloquence 
itself.  Every  word  he  uttered,  for  perhaps  two 
hours,  was  in  the  right  place  and  correctly  spoken. 
There  was  no  hesitation  from  the  beginning  to  the 
end  of  his  oration.  It  was  a  masterpiece  of  history, 
rhetoric,  literature,  and  logic  and  was  delivered  with 
an  eloquence  and  sublimity  that  has  rarely  ever  been 
equaled. 

"When  Everett  sat  down,  there  was  a  tumult  of 
applause  which  lasted  for  some  time.  When  the 
audience  became  somewhat  settled,  one  of  those 
pathetic  pieces  of  music  was  rendered,  and  Abraham 
Lincoln  was  introduced.  Lincoln  was  tall,  six  feet 
four  inches  in  height,  lank,  and  rather  awkward 
looking  in  appearance.  The  strenuous  labor  of  his 
early  life  had  drawn  his  shoulders  forward  until  he 


LINCOLN'S  GETTYSBURG   ADDRESS  229 

appeared  stooped.  The  weight  of  responsibilities, 
past  and  present,  had  put  deep  furrows  in  his  face. 
He  rose  from  where  he  was  sitting  at  the  front  of  the 
platform  and  took  out  of  his  side  pocket  a  sheet 
of  paper  on  which  his  address  was  written.  A 
great  deal  has  been  said,  both  in  print  and  from  the 
rostrum,  about  this  paper's  being  untidy.  I  wish 
to  state  at  this  point,  with  all  the  positiveness  of 
speech  at  my  command,  that  these  statements  are 
untrue.  The  paper  was  clean  and  tidy  and  written 
with  ink  and  not  with  pencil.  It  had  been  neatly 
folded  and  was  in  no  way  crumpled.  I  know  these 
particulars  to  be  true,  for  I  was  close  enough  to  see, 
scarcely  two  feet  away  from  Lincoln  at  the  time  he 
read  the  paper.  He  was  deeply  affected  and  stood 
there  before  that  immense  audience  and  gazed  out 
over  that  great  battle-field.  His  face  assumed  a  sor- 
rowful expression  which  I  shall  always  remember. 
His  mouth  twitched,  the  muscles  of  his  face  seemed 
drawn,  his  cheeks  were  blanched,  his  chest  heaved; 
he  was  overwhelmed  with  emotion  and  could  not  say 
a  word.  After  what  seemed  a  long  time,  the  large 
tears  began  to  steal  their  way  down  his  cheeks,  and 
when  he  had  somewhat  recovered  his  powers  of  ex- 
pression, he  commenced  in  tremulous  tones  to  read 
those  sublime  sentences  that  he  called  his  'lines/ 
There  was  enough  wisdom  in  those  lines  for  half  a 
dozen  orations.  These  lines  are  said  to  have  been 
translated  into  more  foreign  languages  than  any 
other  address  ever  delivered  in  this  country.  With 
great  effort  he  choked  down  his  grief,  while  he  read 


230  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

in  a  broken  and  quivering  voice  what  he  had  writ- 
ten, and  by  the  time  he  had  partially  recovered  from 
his  emotion,  the  lines  were  done  and  he  sat  down 
amidst  a  death-like  stillness  and  silence.  Edward 
Everett  reached  out  his  hand  to  him  and  said,  'Mr. 
Lincoln,  allow  me  to  congratulate  you  on  those  noble 
sentiments/  Lincoln  replied,  'Dear  me,  Mr.  Everett, 
I  am  sorry  I  could  say  so  little.  I  had  only  twenty 
lines/  'Yes,  Mr.  Lincoln,  but  there  was  more  in 
your  twenty  lines  than  was  in  my  twenty  pages/ 
Their  conversation  continued  and  Everett  made  two 
or  three  attempts  to  cheer  Lincoln  by  complimenting 
his  address.  But  Lincoln  warded  him  off  each  time 
and  finally  said,  'We  shall  try  not  to  talk  about  my 
address.  I  failed !  I  failed !  And  that  is  about  all 
that  can  be  said  about  it/ 

"It  will  no  doubt  be  remembered  that  it  has  been 
said  to  the  disparagement  of  Lincoln  that  Everett  re- 
ceived all  the  applause  and  that  Lincoln  got  none. 
While  this  is  true,  there  never  was  an  occasion  where 
applause  would  have  been  more  out  of  place  than  for 
Lincoln's  address.  His  performance  was  essentially 
different  from  that  of  Everett's.  In  sentiment,  in  de- 
livery, and  in  pathetic  feeling,  it  was  directed  to  the 
emotions,  while  Edward  Everett's  address  was  di- 
rected wholly  to  the  intellect.  To  Abraham  Lincoln 
that  was  a  great  funeral  occasion,  and  as  such  he  in- 
tuitively treated  it.  A  prayer  meeting  or  a  funeral 
service  is  no  place  for  applause,  however  eloquent 
the  speaker  may  be.  Lincoln's  dramatic  effort  was 
a  piece  of  pathetic  feeling.     It  stirred  up  the  ele- 


LINCOLN'S  GETTYSBURG  ADDRESS  231 

ments  of  sorrow  from  center  to  circumference  of  the 
human  soul.  The  difference  between  those  two 
addresses  may  be  stated  in  a  fewr  words.  Edward 
Everett  left  that  audience  wreathed  in  smiles  and  in 
an  outburst  of  admiration,  Abraham  Lincoln  left 
it  in  tears.  Edward  Everett  tickled  the  ear  while 
Abraham  Lincoln  touched  the  heart.  The  one  ad- 
dress called  for  prolonged  applause  while  the  other 
caused  the  audience  to  bow  their  heads  in  sorrow." 

In  the  first  chapter  of  this  volume,  attention  is 
called  to  the  tribute  paid  by  the  faculty  of  Oxford 
University  to  the  beauty  of  Lincoln's  language  as 
contained  in  the  letter  to  Mrs.  Bixby.  No  finer 
tribute  to  his  eloquence  can  be  found  than  in  the 
sentiment  expressed  by  the  late  Lord  Curzon  in  an 
address  delivered  by  him  to  the  students  of  Cam- 
bridge University,  on  "Modern  Oratory" : 

"The  finest  speech  in  English  of  the  last  half  cen- 
tury was  delivered  at  Gettysburg — a  speech  made 
by  a  man  who  had  been  a  country  farmer  and  a  dis- 
trict lawyer,  which  ranks  among  the  glories  and  the 
treasures  of  mankind.  I  escape  the  task  of  deciding 
which  is  the  masterpiece  of  British  eloquence  by 
awarding  the  prize  to  Abraham  Lincoln. 


CHAPTER  X 
THE  LINCOLN  TOMB 

ON  Lincoln's  journey  to  Washington  to  assume  his 
duties  as  President,  those  in  charge  of  the  Presi- 
dential party  were  informed  that  an  attempt  would  be 
made  to  assassinate  him  in  Baltimore,  through  which 
his  train  was  scheduled  to  pass,  February  23,  on  its 
way  from  Harrisburg  to  the  national  Capital.  The  in- 
formation was  furnished  by  reliable  detective  agen- 
cies, after  careful  investigation.  At  Philadelphia, 
Frederick  W.  Seward  presented  to  Lincoln  a  special 
letter  from  his  father,  William  H.  Seward,  who  was 
to  enter  the  Cabinet  as  Secretary  of  State.  This  let- 
ter inclosed  the  report  of  government  detectives  to 
General  Winfield  Scott,  which  report  verified  the  in- 
formation previously  received  in  relation  to  the  immi- 
nent danger  of  passing  through  Baltimore  on  the  an- 
nounced schedule  and  suggested  that  all  risk  might  be 
avoided  by  so  changing  the  plans  that  the  President- 
elect would  travel  through  Baltimore  by  night,  with- 
out previous  notice. 

A  council  of  a  few  of  Lincoln's  most  intimate  and 
trusted  friends  was  held  at  Harrisburg  to  consider 
what  should  be  done  in  the  crisis.  After  careful  de- 
liberation it  was  agreed  that  the  suggested  change  in 


THE  LINCOLN  TOMB  233 

plans  should  be  made.  As  a  result,  Lincoln  and  Col- 
onel Ward  H.  Lamon,  his  long-time  friend,  left  Harris- 
burg  on  the  evening  of  February  22  and  traveled  by 
special  coach  to  Philadelphia,  where  berths  had  been 
reserved  for  them  on  the  midnight  train  from  New 
York  to  Washington.  At  6:00  A.M.,  February  23, 
they  arrived  safely  at  Washington. 

All  through  his  Presidency,  Lincoln's  life  was  re- 
peatedly threatened  by  those  who  had  some  imaginary 
grievance  or  who  were  not  in  sympathy  with  his  per- 
sistent opposition  to  the  extension  of  slavery.  He 
recognized  the  dangers  that  surrounded  him  and  was 
not  indifferent  to  them.  But  knowing  that  in  his  own 
heart  there  existed  no  ill  will,  even  to  his  enemies,  he 
could  not  believe  that  any  one  could  harbor  political 
hatred  that  would  find  expression  in  murder.  Then, 
too,  he  felt  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  provide  pro- 
tection against  all  possible  attempts  to  take  his  life, 
"unless,"  as  he  quaintly  expressed  it,  "he  were  to  shut 
himself  up  in  an  iron  box,  in  which  condition  he  could 
scarcely  perform  the  duties  of  a  President." 

He  therefore  went  about  his  daily  duties  with  little 
or  no  protection,  passing  through  the  four  years  of 
Civil  War  and  the  hatreds  generated  by  it,  unharmed. 
But  in  the  hour  of  approaching  triumph  for  the  cause 
which  he  had  so  successfully  defended,  when  his  ten- 
der heart  was  filled  with  joy  that  the  long  struggle  was 
about  over  and  that  peace  was  near  at  hand,  and  his 
great  mind  was  planning  for  the  most  magnanimous 
treatment  of  his  "dissatisfied  fellow-countrymen,"  to 
whom  he  had  so  earnestly  and  lovingly  appealed  in  his 


234  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

First  Inaugural  Address,  he  was  stricken  down  by  the 
assassin's  bullet. 

John  Wilkes  Booth,  the  assassin,  was  the  leader  of  a 
small  band  who  frequently  met  at  a  boarding  house 
kept  by  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Surratt,  in  Washington,  where 
the  crime  was  planned.  He  was  an  egotistical  fanatic, 
bitterly  disappointed  at  the  re-election  of  President 
Lincoln  and  the  surrender  of  the  Army  of  Virginia  at 
Appomattox.  At  one  time  he  is  reported  to  have  con- 
ceived a  plan  to  kidnap  the  President  and  take  him  to 
Richmond.  He  was  a  source  of  annoyance  at  the  inau- 
guration and  is  reported  to  have  remarked  that  "he 
lost  an  excellent  chance  of  killing  the  President  that 
day." 

In  the  Herndon-Weik  Life  of  Lincoln,  Frederick 
Stone,  the  counsel  for  one  of  Booth's  accomplices,  is 
quoted  as  stating  that  the  immediate  cause  of  the  terri- 
ble crime  was  the  sentiments  expressed  in  the  Presi- 
dent's Last  Public  Address,  April  11,  1865,  relative  to 
conferring,  to  a  limited  extent,  the  elective  franchise 
upon  the  colored  race  on  the  basis  of  intelligence  and 
military  service.  But  whatever  the  cause  which  incited 
the  act,  with  cruel  and  inexcusable  hatred,  he  deliber- 
ately planned  and  maliciously  executed  one  of  the  most 
brutal  crimes  in  the  world's  history — a  crime  which 
instantly  removed  from  the  scene  of  action  Abraham 
Lincoln,  the  best  friend  of  the  South  as  well  as  of  the 
North,  in  whose  great  heart  "there  was  no  room  for 
the  memory  of  a  wrong" — a  crime  which  will  forever 
associate  the  name  of  John  Wilkes  Booth  with  dis- 
grace and  infamy. 


THE  LINCOLN  TOMB  235 

At  twenty  minutes  past  ten  o'clock  of  the  night  of 
April  14,  1865,  the  fatal  bullet  was  fired  into  the  brain 
of  the  great  President,  as  he  sat  with  Mrs.  Lincoln  and 
two  friends  whom  she  had  invited  to  join  her,  in  a  box 
at  Ford's  Theater,  intent  upon  securing  a  little  relaxa- 
tion from  the  strenuous  duties  which  so  constantly 
claimed  his  time  and  strength. 

"The  wound  would  have  brought  instant  death  to 
most  men,"  we  read  in  the  Nicolay  and  Hay  Life  of 
Lincoln,  "but  his  vital  tenacity  was  extraordinary. 
He  was,  of  course,  unconscious  from  the  first  moment ; 
but  he  breathed  with  slow  and  regular  respiration 
throughout  the  night.  As  the  dawn  came,  and  the 
lamplight  grew  pale  in  the  fresher  beams,  his  pulse  be- 
gan to  fail ;  but  his  face  even  then  was  scarcely  more 
haggard  than  those  of  the  sorrowing  group  of  states- 
men and  generals  around  him.  His  automatic  moan- 
ing, which  had  continued  throughout  the  night,  ceased ; 
a  look  of  unspeakable  peace  came  upon  his  worn  fea- 
tures. At  twenty-two  minutes  after  seven  he  died. 
Stanton  broke  the  silence  by  saying,  'Now  he  belongs 
to  the  ages/  Dr.  Gurley  kneeled  by  the  bedside  and 
prayed  fervently.  The  widow  came  in  from  the  ad- 
joining room,  supported  by  her  son,  and  cast  herself 
with  loud  outcry  on  the  dead  body." 

The  tragic  death  scene  occurred  in  the  house  owned 
by  William  Peterson,  and  located  at  516  Tenth  Street, 
just  opposite  Ford's  Theater.  The  President  was  re- 
moved there  at  the  direction  of  the  physician  in  charge, 
as  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  take  him  to  the 
White  House  over  the  (then)  rough  streets  without 


236  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

bringing  on  a  fatal  hemorrhage.  It  is  sad,  indeed,  to 
recall  that  this  head  of  a  great  government,  master  of 
men,  and  emancipator  of  a  race,  who  was  born  in  a 
rude  cabin  which  could  scarcely  be  called  a  home,  was 
not  even  permitted  to  die  at  home — the  official  home 
provided  for  the  Presidents  of  the  nation  that  he  had 
done  so  much  to  save. 

It  is  fitting,  however,  that  the  house  where  his 
earthly  life  ended  should  become  a  sacred  Lincoln 
shrine.  Lovers  of  Lincoln,  visiting  the  building,  rev- 
erently pause  awhile  in  the  room  where  he  died,  and 
appreciatively  study  the  "Oldroyd  Lincoln  Memorial 
Collection,"  gathered  through  many  years  of  pains- 
taking care  and  loving  service  by  Mr.  0.  H.  Oldroyd, 
whose  volumes — The  Assassination  of  Abraham  Lin- 
coln and  The  Poets9  Lincoln  are  both  valuable  contri- 
butions to  Lincoln  literature. 

In  the  North,  with  few  exceptions,  the  grief  due  to 
President  Lincoln's  death  was  as  genuine  as  it  was 
universal.  The  people  of  the  South  also  shared,  in  a 
measure,  in  the  sorrow;  for  down  in  their  hearts  they 
could  not  help  feeling  that  he  had  never  borne  them 
any  ill  will.  Perhaps,  they  may  have  realized  to  some 
extent  what  he  would  have  done  to  "bind  up  the  Na- 
tion's wounds,"  could  he  have  lived  to  guide  the  work 
of  reconstruction  "with  malice  toward  none  and  char- 
ity for  all." 

In  the  nation's  capital,  rejoicing  at  the  prospects  of 
the  near  approach  of  peace  was  suddenly  turned  into 
the  deepest  mourning.  Public  buildings  and  business 
houses  and  homes  of  all  types,  of  the  poor  as  well  as  of 


THE  LINCOLN  TOMB  237 

the  rich,  were  alike  draped  with  the  emblems  of  sor- 
row, which  centered  in  the  White  House  where,  silent 
in  death,  lay  the  body  of  the  martyred  President, 

On  the  following  Wednesday,  April  19,  funeral  ser- 
vices were  held  in  the  historic  East  Room  of  the  White 
House.  They  were  fittingly  characterized  by  brevity 
and  simplicity,  under  the  direction  of  Bishop  Simpson 
of  the  Methodist  Church  and  Dr.  Gurley  of  the  New 
York  Avenue  Presbyterian  Church,  in  which  President 
Lincoln  and  his  family  were  regular  worshippers.  At 
the  close  of  these  services,  the  body  was  removed  to 
the  rotunda  of  the  Capitol  in  a  magnificent  funeral 
car,  accompanied  by  a  vast  procession,  at  the  head  of 
which  marched  a  detach'ment  of  colored  troops.  There, 
all  through  the  remainder  of  the  day  and  all  of  the 
night  of  the  19th,  and  until  the  evening  of  the  20th,  it 
rested,  while  thousands  of  deeply  sympathizing  friends 
reverently  passed  to  pay  their  tribute  of  love  to  the 
one  whose  death  had  so  profoundly  stirred  their 
hearts. 

At  eight  o'clock  on  Friday  morning,  April  21,  the 
funeral  train  started  on  its  long,  sad  journey  to  Spring- 
field where  a  little  more  than  four  years  before  the 
loved  Lincoln  had  bidden  farewell  to  his  friends  and 
neighbors.  For  thirteen  days  and  nights  it  journeyed 
homeward  over  practically  the  same  route  followed  by 
the  Presidential  train  in  February,  1861,  on  its  way  to 
the  Capital.  No  pen  can  ever  describe  the  scenes  of 
sorrow  which  were  witnessed  all  along  the  way,  not 
only  in  Baltimore,  Harrisburg,  Philadelphia,  New 
York,  Albany,  Buffalo,  Cleveland,  Columbus,  Indianap- 


238  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

olis,  and  Chicago,  where  extended  stops  furnished 
an  opportunity  for  the  people  to  look  upon  the  face  of 
the  stricken  leader,  but  everywhere  that  the  train 
passed,  both  by  day  and  night,  in  country  as  well  as  in 
village  and  city. 

For  more  than  two  weeks  the  friends  in  Springfield 
had  planned  for  the  sad  home-coming.  When  at  nine 
o'clock  on  the  morning  of  May  3  the  funeral  train  ar- 
rived, the  city  was  crowded  with  people,  many  of 
whom  knew  Lincoln  personally  and  all  of  whom  hon- 
ored him  while  he  was  living  and,  now  that  he  was 
gone,  desired  to  pay  sincere  tribute  to  his  memory. 
At  home  in  the  State  Capitol,  where  he  had  witnessed 
so  many  stirring  scenes  in  which  he,  himself,  had  had 
a  most  important  part,  and  where  he  had  so  often 
mingled  with  the  people  whom  he  so  dearly  loved,  his 
body  lay  in  state.  For  twenty-four  hours,  in  an  un- 
ending procession,  his  friends  and  neighbors  of  so 
many  years  looked  for  the  last  time  upon  his  kindly 
face. 

At  ten  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  May  4,  the  casket 
was  finally  closed.  Once  more  a  vast  procession  formed 
to  accompany  it — this  time  to  Oak  Ridge  Cemetery 
where  brief  services  were  held,  beautiful  in  their  im- 
pressive simplicity.  Here  Bishop  Simpson  again  spoke 
in  glowing  tribute  of  the  dead.  Here  appropriate 
hymns  were  sung  and  earnest  prayers  were  offered. 
Here  with  peculiar  fitness  the  Second  Inaugural  Ad- 
dress was  read.  And  here  the  bodies  of  Abraham  Lin- 
coln and  his  son,  William  Wallace,  familiarly  called 
Willie,  whose  death  more  than  two  years  before  had  so 


THE  LINCOLN  TOMB  239 

deeply  grieved  his  father's  heart,  were  reverently  laid 
side  by  side  in  the  receiving  tomb. 

But  the  mourning  was  not  by  any  means  confined  to 
these  sad  rites,  nor  did  it  cease  with  them.  The  heart 
of  humanity  had  been  deeply  touched,  and  from  all 
sections  of  the  world  came  messages  of  loving  sym- 
pathy to  the  Government  and  to  the  family.  One  en- 
tire volume  of  more  than  seven  hundred  pages  of  the 
Diplomatic  Correspondence  of  the  year  in  which  Lin- 
coln died,  was  filled  with  sympathetic  expressions  re- 
lating to  his  death,  And  in  all  the  years  that  have  fol- 
lowed since  then,  both  in  the  United  States  and  in 
foreign  lands,  innumerable  monuments  have  been 
erected  to  his  memory,  the  most  impressive  of  all  being 
the  Lincoln  Memorial  at  Washington,  dedicated  May 
30, 1922.  This  beautiful  Memorial  contains  the  Gettys- 
burg Address,  the  Second  Inaugural,  and  a  statue  of 
Abraham  Lincoln,  over  whose  head  is  the  inscription : 

IN  THIS  TEMPLE  AS  IN  THE  HEARTS  OF  THE  PEOPLE  FOR 

WHOM    HE    SAVED    THE    UNION    THE    MEMORY    OF 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN  IS  ENSHRINED  FOREVER. 

Would  that  this  account  might  end  here  and  that  it 
might  be  said  of  Lincoln  as  was  said  of  another  ruler 
who  was  foully  murdered: 

"After  life's  fitful  fever  he  sleeps  well."  But  this 
was  not  to  be,  for  even  in  the  tomb  he  was  not  allowed 
to  rest  in  peace. 

On  May  11,  1865,  the  National  Lincoln  Monument 
Association  was  organized  for  the  purpose  of  erecting 
a  monument  to  the  memory  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  late 


240  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

President  of  the  United  States.  The  first  work  of  this 
association  was  the  building  of  a  temporary  vault,  to 
which  the  bodies  which  had  been  placed  in  the  receiv- 
ing tomb  on  May  4,  were  removed  on  December  21, 
1865.  In  due  course  of  time  the  building  of  the  monu- 
ment was  begun  and  was  so  far  advanced  by  July  17, 
1871,  that  the  remains  of  Thomas  Lincoln,  youngest 
son  of  the  President,  who  had  died  in  Chicago  two 
days  before,  were  brought  to  Springfield  and  placed  in 
one  of  the  crypts.  On  September  19  of  the  same  year, 
the  remains  of  President  Lincoln  and  his  sons,  William 
and  Edward,  were  also  removed  to  the  monument. 

On  October  9,  1874,  the  body  of  President  Lincoln 
was  changed  from  the  iron  coffin,  in  which  it  had 
rested  in  the  central  crypt  back  of  the  catacomb,  to  one 
of  cedar  heavily  lined  with  lead.  This  was  placed  in  a 
marble  sarcophagus  which  was  located  in  the  center 
of  the  catacomb,  on  the  north  side  of  the  monument. 
It  was  from  this  sarcophagus  that  an  almost  successful 
attempt  to  steal  the  body  was  made  on  the  night  of 
November  7,  1876.  The  history  of  this  dastardly  at- 
tempt— one  of  the  most  infamous  on  record,  is  given 
in  detail  in  a  volume  entitled  History  of  an  Attempt 
to  Steal  The  Body  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  Including  A 
History  of  the  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor  with  Eight 
Years9  Lincoln  Memorial  Services.  This  volume  was 
printed  in  1890  and  was  edited  by  John  Carroll  Power, 
Custodian  of  the  Lincoln  National  Monument  and  Sec- 
retary of  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor.  It  is  chiefly 
from  this  History  that  the  information  contained  in 
the  following  summary  was  secured. 


THE  LINCOLN  TOMB  241 

Two  motives  were  back  of  the  plot  to  steal  the  body. 
First,  to  secure  a  large  reward  in  money  from  the  gov- 
ernment for  its  return,  and  second,  to  obtain  a  pardon 
for  Benjamin  Boyd,  a  notorious  counterfeiter  whose 
arrest  in  1875  and  sentence  to  the  Joliet  penitentiary 
for  ten  years  had  most  seriously  interfered  with  the 
Nefarious  business  of  the  gang  of  which  he  was  the 
leader.  The  plan  was  to  remove  the  body  to  a  place 
near  the  lake,  and  there  conceal  it  until  the  money  was 
paid  and  the  pardon  secured. 

Terrence  Mullen,  alias  T.  Durnan,  and  John  Hughes 
alias  J.  Smith,  were  the  men  who  conceived  this  dia- 
bolical plot.  Lewis  C.  Swegles,  whom  they  supposed 
to  be  in  sympathy  with  them  and  to  whom  they  reveal- 
ed the  details  of  their  plans,  was  the  one  who  inform- 
ed the  United  States  Secret  Service  of  this  conspiracy. 
With  his  aid  the  detectives  kept  in  touch  with  every 
movement  of  the  conspirators.  So  it  happened  that 
when  the  latter  entered  the  front  coach  of  the  Chicago 
and  Alton  train  which  left  Chicago  for  Springfield  the 
night  of  November  6,  they  were  not  aware  of  the  fact 
that  the  former  boarded  the  rear  sleeper  of  the  same 
train.  All  arrived  at  Springfield  early  in  the  morning 
of  November  7. 

Patrick  D.  Tyrrell,  Chief  of  the  Government  Secret 
Service,  who  had  planned  and  executed  the  arrest  of 
Benjamin  Boyd,  the  counterfeiter,  was  also  in  charge 
of  the  plans  for  the  detection  and  arrest  of  the  con- 
spirators. Swegles  remained  with  them  but  was  in 
close  communication  with  Chief  Tyrrell,  who  was  thus 
informed  regarding  all  their  actions.    On  the  morning 


242  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

of  November  7,  accompanied  by  John  T.  Stuart,  Lin- 
coln's first  law  partner,  Tyrrell  visited  the  custodian 
of  the  Monument  and  informed  him  that  two  of  the 
conspirators  would  arrive  in  the  afternoon  to  inspect 
the  Tomb  in  preparation  for  the  robbery.  The  custo- 
dian was  given  an  accurate  description  of  them  so 
that  they  could  be  easily  identified  and  was  directed  to 
answer  truthfully  all  their  questions  and  to  extend  to 
them  all  the  courtesies  shown  to  visitors.  In  due  time 
they  arrived,  in  the  persons  of  Swegles  and  Hughes, 
who  registered,  the  first  as  Henry  S.  Lewis,  Kenosha, 
Wisconsin  and,  the  second,  as  James  Smith,  Racine, 
Wisconsin. 

With  all  their  questions  satisfactorily  answered, 
they  returned  to  a  hotel  in  the  city  to  complete  their 
plans.  Swegles  continued  to  play  the  double  and  dan- 
gerous role  of  a  pretended  accomplice,  who  was  to  fur- 
nish a  wagon  for  the  removal  of  the  body,  while  in 
reality  he  was  a  means  of  communication  with  the  de- 
tectives who,  late  in  the  evening,  went  to  the  Monu- 
ment, where  arrangements  had  been  made  with  the 
custodian  for  their  reception. 

One  of  their  number  was  stationed  at  a  point  back 
tinder  the  Monument,  directly  against  the  wall,  on  the 
opposite  side  of  which  the  sarcophagus  was  located, 
in  order  that  he  might  learn,  and  at  once  inform  his 
associates,  when  the  robbers  began  their  work.  The 
other  detectives  and  the  custodian  were  assigned 
places  in  Memorial  Hall  in  the  south  side  of  the  Monu- 
ment. With  Chief  Tyrrell  standing  in  a  position 
where  he  could  not  be  seen  but  where  he  could  see  and 


THE  LINCOLN  TOMB  243 

hear  every  movement  on  the  outside,  the  detectives 
remained  in  absolute  silence  for  nearly  two  hours, 
when  about  nine  o'clock  the  thieves  appeared  on  the 
scene.  After  carefully  inspecting  the  surroundings, 
they  concluded  that  all  was  safe  for  them  to  begin  the 
execution  of  their  plans. 

In  a  few  minutes,  Swegles  appeared  in  front  of  the 
door  and,  giving  the  password  previously  agreed  upon, 
reported  that  Mullen  and  Hughes  had  commenced  saw- 
ing the  lock  of  the  door  of  the  catacomb,  and  at  once 
rejoined  them.  A  little  later,  the  detective  who  had 
been  stationed  against  the  back  wall  appeared  and  an- 
nounced that  work  had  been  begun  on  the  sarcophagus. 

For  several  minutes  the  detectives  anxiously  awaited 
a  prearranged  signal  from  Swegles  to  move  upon  the 
robbers  and  capture  them.  But  he  did  not  appear 
when  expected,  for  the  reason  that  he  had  been  com- 
pelled to  stand  and  hold  the  dark  lantern  in  an  inside 
corner  of  the  catacomb  while  Mullen  opened  the 
sarcophagus  and  Hughes  patrolled  the  outside  and 
guarded  the  door.  However,  as  soon  as  the  sarcoph- 
agus was  forced  open  and  the  coffin  partly  removed, 
Swegles  was  directed  to  bring  up  the  wagon  which  he 
was  presumed  to  have  in  readiness  near  by. 

Taking  advantage  of  the  opportunity  thus  presented, 
he  went  to  the  door  of  Memorial  Hall  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  monument  and  informed  Chief  Tyrrell  that 
Mullen  and  Hughes  were  waiting  at  the  door  of  the 
catacomb  for  him  to  bring  up  the  wagon  and  teamster. 
Leaving  Swegles  in  the  background,  the  officers 
started  for  the  catacomb  to  arrest  the  robbers  and 


244  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

were  surprised  not  to  find  them  there.  Instead  of  re- 
maining at  the  door  where  Swegles  had  left  them,  they 
had  gone  a  short  distance  to  the  north,  where  they 
were  waiting  for  his  return.  They  at  first  took  the 
approaching  officers  to  be  Swegles  and  his  teamster 
coming  for  the  coffin,  but  soon  discovered  their  mis- 
take. A  running  fire  followed  between  the  robbers 
and  the  officers,  in  which  the  former  got  away  and 
several  of  the  latter  narrowly  escaped  being  killed  by 
bullets  fired  both  by  the  robbers  and,  through  mis- 
takes due  to  the  darkness  and  confusion,  by  some  of 
their  own  number. 

The  next  morning  trace  of  the  robbers  was  found 
at  a  farmhouse,  where  they  had  eaten  breakfast,  about 
seven  miles  from  Springfield.  They  were  then  lost 
sight  of  for  several  days.  On  the  evening  of  Novem- 
ber 17,  upon  information  furnished  by  Swegles,  they 
were  arrested  in  a  saloon  kept  by  Mullen,  in  Chicago, 
and  the  same  night  were  taken  to  Springfield. 

There  was  no  law  at  that  time  under  which  they 
could  be  sentenced  to  the  penitentiary  for  the  re- 
volting crime  which  they  had  attempted.  In  order 
that  they  might  be  legally  prosecuted,  they  were 
charged  with  burglary  and  conspiracy.  A  special 
grand  jury  was  promptly  summoned  and  on  November 
20,  1876,  returned  an  indictment  against  Mullen  and 
Hughes,  in  which  it  was  charged  that  on  the  seventh 
day  of  November,  1876,  they  "did  unlawfully,  wick- 
edly, knowingly,  and  feloniously  combine,  conspire, 
and  agree  together  unlawfully  and  feloniously  to  steal, 
take,  and  carry  away,  certain  personal  goods  and 


THE  LINCOLN  TOMB  245 

property,  to  wit:  one  casket,  otherwise  called  a  coffin, 
of  the  value  of  seventy-five  dollars,  the  personal  goods 
and  property  of  the  National  Lincoln  Monument  As- 
sociation, the  said  Association  being  then  and  there 
organized  under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  con- 
trary to  the  statutes  and  against  the  peace  and  dignity 
of  the  People  of  the  State  of  Illinois." 

After  the  usual  attempts  to  delay  prosecution,  in- 
cluding a  motion  for  change  of  venue  to  Logan  County, 
once  granted  and  afterward  set  aside,  the  trial  pro- 
ceeded, and  finally  on  June  2,  1877,  after  having  been 
found  guilty  as  charged  in  the  indictment,  the  defen- 
dants, Terrence  Mullen  alias  T.  Durnan,  and  John 
Hughes  alias  J.  Smith  were  sentenced  to  pay  the  costs 
of  prosecution  and  to  be  confined  in  the  penitentiary  of 
the  State  of  Illinois  at  Joliet,  for  the  term  of  one  year 
each,  one  day  of  which  was  to  be  in  solitary  confine- 
ment, and  the  balance  at  hard  labor. 

After  the  intense  excitement  resulting  from  the  at- 
tempt to  steal  the  President's  body  had  somewhat  sub- 
sided, the  sarcophagus  was  repaired  and  the  coffin 
again  placed  inside  it.  Fearing  that  another  attempt 
to  steal  it  might  be  made,  the  coffin  was  taken  out  of 
the  sarcophagus  and,  by  the  custodian  aided  by  five 
other  trusted  friends,  was  placed  in  a  box  and  secreted 
under  the  monument.  There  it  remained  in  different 
places,  either  resting  upon  timbers  above  the  ground 
or  buried  in  the  ground,  until  April  14,  1887,  the 
twenty-second  anniversary  of  the  assassination,  when 
it  was  placed,  along  with  the  body  of  Mrs.  Lincoln,  in 
a  receptacle  under  the  monument. 


246  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

On  February  12,  1880,  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor 
•was  organized  and  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the 
State  of  Illinois.  It  consisted  of  nine  members,  three 
in  addition  to  the  custodian  and  the  five  persons  re- 
ferred to  in  the  preceding  paragraph.  Both  the  os- 
tensible purpose  and  the  real  object  of  the  members 
of  this  unique  and  commendable  organization  are 
clearly  set  forth  in  the  following  resolutions  unani- 
mously adopted  at  their  ninth  and  last  official  annual 
meeting,  held  in  the  Leland  Hotel,  Springfield,  at  8 :00 
P.  M.,  Monday,  February  13,  1888 : 

Whereas,  The  members  of  our  Society,  after  the 
attempt  of  demons  in  human  form  to  steal  the  body 
of  our  martyred  President,  Abraham  Lincoln,  that 
they  might,  by  the  possession  of  it,  extort  gain,  having, 
at  the  suggestion  of  an  officer  of  the  Lincoln  Monu- 
ment Association,  first  made  the  remains  temporarily 
secure,  we  organized  under  the  laws  of  the  State  of 
Illinois  as  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor,  that  we  might 
more  effectually  guard  against  any  further  attempts 
that  might  be  made  by  vandal  hands  to  rob  his  tomb; 
and 

Whereas,  It  was  obviously  indispensable  that  we 
should  shield  the  real  objects  of  our  origination  from 
the  public  as  the  only  sure  way  of  accomplishing  them, 
for  that  reason  one  of  them  was  made  to  institute  and 
maintain  memorial  services  on  the  anniversaries  of  his 
birth  and  death;  and 

Whereas,  We  have  eight  times,  from  1880  to  1887, 
inclusive,  arranged  for  and  conducted,  on  the  anniver- 
sary of  his  death,  each,  an  increasingly  beautiful  and 


THE  LINCOLN  TOMB  247 

impressive  memorial  service,  so  that  the  day  has  be- 
come known  as  Lincoln  Memorial  Day ;  and 

Whereas,  The  exhuming  of  the  body  of  President 
Lincoln,  by  The  Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor,  from  the 
grave  where  they  had  secretly  buried  it  years  before, 
and  delivering  it,  April  14,  1887,  to  the  Lincoln  Monu- 
ment Association,  before  whom  it  was  identified,  as 
attested  by  a  large  number  of  witnesses,  and  the  burial 
of  it  with  that  of  his  wife,  in  our  presence,  in  a  recep- 
tacle prepared  under  the  supervision  of  our  Secretary 
(as  the  Custodian  of  the  monument),  and  encasing 
them  in  concrete  six  by  five  feet  and  a  half,  and  eight 
feet  long,  with  a  wall  one  foot  and  a  half  thick  of  hard 
burned  brick,  laid  in  Portland  cement,  around  that, 
making  the  whole  equal  to  a  solid  mass  of  stone  six 
feet  deep,  eight  and  a  half  feet  wide  and  eleven  feet 
long,  terminates  our  labors  and  responsibilities :  there- 
fore, 

"Resolved,  That  the  directors  and  officers  elected  at 
this  meeting,  being  for  one  year  or  until  their  succes- 
sors are  chosen,  we  will  consider  their  term  of  office 
perpetual,  if  there  is  not  another  election ;  that  we  will 
retain  our  organization  under  its  corporate  name  as 
long  as  there  is  a  member  living,  and  will  meet  for 
social  or  other  purposes  on  the  call  of  any  two  mem- 
bers, or  on  the  death  of  a  member,  as  it  was,  early  in 
our  history,  mutually  agreed  that  upon  the  death  of 
any  member,  the  survivors  will  act  as  pall-bearers. 

"Resolved,  That  we  will  not  again  conduct  Lincoln 
Memorial  Services,  but  will  leave  that  to  the  citizens, 
or  to  a  new  society  under  another  name,  and  we  will 


248  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

heartily  join,  as  citizens,  on  any  Lincoln  Memorial  Day 
that  they  may  inaugurate. 

"Resolved,  That  our  Secretary  be,  and  he  is  hereby 
instructed,  to  have  a  neat  casket  made,  of  sufficient  size 
to  contain  our  record  book,  certificate  of  incorporation, 
seal  and  press,  gavel  made  of  live  oak  from  the  steam- 
ship of  war  Kearsarge,  crimson  silk  velvet  collar  cov- 
ered with  patriotic  emblems  in  gold,  sent  to  our  Secre- 
tary by  friends  of  Lincoln  in  California,  as  a  mark  of 
their  approval  of  his  efforts  as  Custodian  to  protect 
the  tomb  from  desecration,  and  any  papers  that  it  may 
be  desirable  to  preserve — put  all  in  the  casket  and 
keep  it  in  Memorial  Hall  of  the  National  Lincoln  Monu- 
ment, that  they  may  be  left  there  as  mementoes  when 
we  cease  to  use  them.  On  the  death  of  any  member, 
it  shall  be  the  duty  of  any  surviving  member  or  mem- 
bers to  see  that  the  fact  is  entered  on  our  record  book." 

When  these  resolutions  were  passed,  it  was  believed 
that  the  body  of  the  martyred  President  had  at  last 
found  its  final  resting  place.  But  a  little  more  than 
a  decade  later  the  entire  monument  had  to  be  taken 
down  and  rebuilt  with  a  new  foundation  on  the  solid 
rock.  This  necessitated  the  removal  of  the  caskets 
containing  the  remains  of  the  Lincoln  family  to  a 
temporary  vault  until  the  reconstructed  monument 
was  completed,  when  they  were  again  replaced  in  the 
receptacles  prepared  for  them.  This  took  place  Sep- 
tember 25,  1901.  Mr.  J.  C.  Thompson,  legal  adviser 
of  the  Department  of  Public  Instruction  from  the 
State  of  Illinois,  to  whom  the  author  is  indebted  for 
the  information  contained  in  this  paragraph,  was  one 


THE  LINCOLN  TOMB  249 

of  the  sixteen  friends  who  were  present  at  the  final 
interment. 

To  this  rebuilt  and  reconsecrated  monument,  in 
ever  increasing  numbers  as  the  years  go  by,  people 
from  all  over  the  world  repair,  to  pay  loving  tribute 
to  the  memory  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  the  savior  of  the 
Republic — a  fulfillment  of  the  prophecy  contained  in 
the  beautiful  Memorial  Sermon  by  Henry  Ward 
Beecher : 

"Four  years  ago,  O  Illinois,  we  took  from  thy  midst 
an  untried  man,  one  from  among  the  people;  we  re- 
turn him  to  you  a  mighty  conqueror.  Not  thine  any 
more,  but  the  nation's;  not  ours,  but  the  world's. 
Give  him  place,  0  ye  prairies!  In  the  midst  of  this 
great  continent,  his  dust  shall  rest,  a  sacred  treasure 
to  myriads  who  shall  pilgrim  to  that  shrine  to  kindle 
anew  their  zeal  and  patriotism.  Ye  winds  that  move 
over  the  mighty  places  of  the  West,  chant  his  requiem ! 
Ye  people,  behold  the  martyr  whose  blood,  as  so  many 
articulate  words,  pleads  for  fidelity,  for  law,  for 
liberty !" 


INDEX 


Andrews,       Mary       Raymond 

Shipman,  212 
Appomattox,  surrender  at,  30 
Armstrong,  Jack,  81 
Ashmun,  George,  109 

Bateman,  Newton,  110 
Bedell,  Grace,  119 
Beecher,  Henry  Ward,  249 
Berry,  William  F.,  87 
Bixby,  Mrs.,  27 
Blair,  Francis  P.,  34 
Blair,  Montgomery,  211 
Booth,  John  Wilkes,  234 
Boyd,  Benjamin,  241 
Brown,   Mrs.   Mary   Edwards, 

116 
Ballard,  F.  Lauriston,  116 
Burr,  Aaron,  33 

Calhoun,  John,  91 
Cambridge  University,  231 
Cameron,  Simon,  131 
Carpenter,  Frank  B.,  101,  127 
Cass,  Lewis  138 
Charnwood,  Lord,  120 
Chase,    Salmon    P.,    146,    160, 

167,  210 
Coles,  Edward,  60 
Compromise  of  1850,  67 
Crawford,  Andrew,  181 
Crawford,  Josiah,  194,  198 
Curtin,  Andrew  G.,  201 
Curzon,  Lord,  231 


Davis,  David,  80,  103 
Davis,  Jefferson,  176 
Dorsey,  Azel  W.,  181 
Douglas,   Stephen  A.,   19,   58, 

61,  69,  94 
Dred  Scott  Decision,  68 

Early,  Jubal  A.,  224 
Emancipation       Proclamation, 

77,  175 
Emerson,     Ralph    Waldo,    56, 

123,  186,  193 
Evarts,  William  M.,  107 
Everett,    Edward,    205,    213, 

219,  222 

Fay,  H.  W.,  117 
Fell,  Jesse  W.,  179 
Fish,  Mrs.,  220 
Ford's  Theater,  235 
Forquer,  George,  136 
Freeze,  Jacob,  146 
Fremont,  John  C,  148,  157 
Fugitive  Slave  Acts,  67 

Garber,  A.  P.,  224 
Gettysburg   Cemetery,   202 
Grant,  U.  S.,  142,  188 
Greeley,  Horace,  70,  172 
Gulliver,  John  P.,  186,  191 
Gurley,  Phineas  D.,  51,  235 

Halleck,  Henry  W.,  158 
Hampton    Roads     Conference, 
148 


252 


INDEX 


Hazel,  Caleb,  180 

Herndon,  William  H.,  15,  97, 

114,  120,  135,  183,  193 
Herndon  Brothers,  87 
Hodges,  A.  G.,  59,  74 
Hughes,  John,  241 

Jackson,  Andrew,  34 
Johnson,  William  J.,  50 
Johnston,  'Tilda,  37 
Johnston,  William,  196 
Judd,  Norman  B.,  107 

Kansas-Nebraska  Act,  61,  68 
Kelso,  Jack,  195 
Kilpatrick,  Lincoln's  opponent 
for  captaincy,  82 

Lambert,  William  H.,  221 
Lamon,  Ward  H.,  102,  233 
Lincoln,  Abraham 

"Abraham"     or     "Abram"? 

110 
Aesop's  Fables,  influence  of, 

125 
Albany,  speech  before  New 

York     State     Legislature 

at,  24 
Anecdotes,  125 
Assassination,  30,  234 
Attempt  to  steal  his  body, 

240 
Autobiography,  87,  179 
"Back    to   the    Declaration" 

Speech,  20 
Bible,  belief  in,  45 

Familiarity  with,  193 
Black    Hawk    War    experi- 
ences, 82,  138 
Blackstone's     Commentaries 

accidentally  acquired,  198 
Bloomington,  111.,  speech  at 

("The  Lost  Speech"),  64 
Cabinet,  relations  with  his, 

115,  160 


Campaign  expenses,  98 

Candidate  for  State  Legis- 
lature, 12 

Candidate  for  U.  S.  Senate, 
16,  19 

Children,   fondness  for,   115 

Clerk,  85 

Cleveland,  speech  at,  23 

Columbus,   Ohio,  speech   at, 
22 

"Compensated         emancipa- 
tion," 69,  76,  122 

Congressman,  15 

Constitution,   views   on,   41, 
75 

Cooper  Institute,  speech  at, 
65,  141 

Debates    with    Douglas,   20, 
141 

Debt,    discharge    of    Berry 
partnership,  87 

Deputy  county  surveyor,  88 

Dred    Scott    Decision,    com- 
ment on,  69 

Emancipation,  his  summary 
of  the  results  of,  76 

Euclid,  study  of,  181,  186 

Fees  as  a  lawyer,  101 

First     Inaugural     Address, 
25,  46,  70 

Foreign   nations  grieve  for 
him,  239 

Funeral  in   Springfield,  238 

Funeral  in  Washington,  237 

Gettysburg  Address,  26, 123, 
203 

Gettysburg,      comment      on 
Battle  of,   158 

Gettysburg,  prayer  for  vic- 
tory at,  52 

Harrisburg,  Pa.,  speech  at, 
25 

"Honest  Abe,"  85 

"House-divided-against-it- 
self"  speech,  39 


INDEX 


253 


Lincoln —  (Continued) 

Independence     Hall,     Phila- 
delphia, speech  at,  24 
"In  God  We  Trust,"  55 
Kindness  to  those  in  trouble, 

151 
Labor,  views  on,  44 
Language,  simplicity  of,  120, 

191 
Last  public  address,  234 
Law,  attitude  toward,  41 

Study  of,  186,  197 
Lawyers,  notes  on,  95 
Lewistown,  speech  at,  20 
Lincoln-Stone     protest,     60, 

68 
Litigation,   discouraging   of, 

99 
"Lost  Speech,  The,"  64 
Lyceum  Address  at  Spring- 
field, 41 
Mother,  his,  37 
Notification   of  his  nomina- 
tion for  Presidency,  108 
Patience,  156 
Peoria,  111.,  debate  at,  62 
Personal   friendship    as    re- 
lated to   public  office,  92, 
114 
Pittsburgh,  speech  at,  23 
Poems  liked  by  him,  195 
Postmaster   at   New   Salem, 

86 
Prayer,  belief  in  power  of, 

52 
President-elect,  21 
Proclamation    for    Day    of 

Prayer,  47 
Property,  views  on,  44 
Reading,  early,  193 
Re-elected  President,  27,  28 
Ridicule,  early  use  of,  198 
Sabbath,  observance  of,  49 
Second    Inaugural    Address, 
29,  47,  238 


Service,   Christian  ideal   of, 

32 
Shakespeare,  his  familiarity 

with,  195 
Slavery,  attitude  on,  59,  63, 

73,  75 
Speeches,   care   in   prepara- 
tion of,  213 
Springfield,  farewell  to,  22 
His    part    in    removal    of 

capital  to,  93 
Lyceum  Address  at,  41 
Stepmother,  his,  37 
Steubenville,     Ohio,    speech 

at,  23 
Truthfulness,  38 
Washington,     comment     on, 

194 
"Whiskers"  letter,  119 
Wrestling  prowess,  81 
Lincoln,   Edward,   240 
Lincoln,    Mrs.    Abraham,    108, 

116,  235,  245 
Lincoln,      Thomas       ("Tad"), 

115,  240 
Lincoln,       William       Wallace 

("Willie"),   238 
Lincoln  Guard  of  Honor,  240, 

246 
Lincoln  Memorial  in  Washing- 
ton, 239 
Lincoln     Monument     Associa- 
tion, 239 
Lincoln  Tomb,  240 
Lodge,  Henry  Cabot,  57 

Matheney,  Charles,  100 
McClellan,  George   B.,   156 
McClure,  A.  K.,  188 
Meade,  George  G.,  158 
Missouri  Compromise,  61,  68 
Moore,  Captain,  83 
Morgan,  R.  P.,  135 
Morrow,  John,  223 
Mullen,  Terrence,  241 


254 


INDEX 


New  York  Tribune,  70,  172 
Nicolay,  Helen,  115,  120,  127 
Nicolay,  John  G.,  31,  51,  214 
Nicolay    and    Hay,    141,    156, 
158,  169,  211,  235 

Offutt,  Denton,  81 
Oldroyd,  O.  H.,  236 
Oldroyd  Lincoln  Memorial  Col- 
lection, 236 
Oxford  University,  27 

"Perfect  Tribute,  The,"  212 
Peterson,  William,  235 
Pioneer  conditions,  105 
Power,  John  Carroll,  240 

Rankin,  Henry  B.,  182 
Reynolds,  John,  82,  106 
Riney,  Zachariah,  180 
Roberts,  William  Henry,  50 
Roby,  Kate,  124 
Ruskin,  John,  31 

Scott,  Winfield,  156,  163,  232 
Seward,  Frederick  W.,  232 
Seward,  William  H.,  107,  134, 

148,  160,  211,  213,  232 
Sickles,  Daniel  E.,  52 
Simpson,  Matthew,  237,  238 
Smith,  C.  M.,  183 
Spears,  George,  86 


Speed,  Joshua,  46,  93,  199 
Stanton,  Edwin  M.,   146,  170, 

211,  235 
Stone,  Dr.,  128 
Stone,  Frederick,  234 
Stuart,  John  T.,  242 
Sturtevant,  J.  M.,  39 
Sumner,  Charles,  145 
Surratt,  Mrs.  Mary  E.,  234 
Swegles,  Lewis  C,  241 

Taney,  Roger  B.,  147 
Tarbell,  Ida  M.,  Ill 
Taylor,  "Dick,"  137 
Thompson,  J.  C,  248 
Thompson,  Lorenzo  Dow,  83 
Trent  Brothers,  87 
Trumbull,  Lyman,  16 
Tyrrell,  Patrick  D.,  241 

Usher,    Secretary   of  the   In- 
terior, 211 

Webster,  Daniel,  57 
Weed,  Thurlow,  29 
Weems's    "Life    of    Washing- 

ton,"  198 
Weik,  Jesse  W.,  113 
Welles,  Gideon,  167 
Whitney,  Henry  C,  64,  96 
Wills,  David,  201,  205 


